


Our Life Under Flames

by Cagedbird30



Category: Chicago Fire, Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Firefighters, Bipolar Disorder, College Student Ian, Eventual Smut, F/M, Firefighter Mickey, Gallavich, Light Angst, M/M, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2018-10-22 21:39:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10705653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cagedbird30/pseuds/Cagedbird30
Summary: Formerly title The Sun and The MoonIt's been 5 years since Mickey left Chicago after Ian ran off and enlisted in the Army. He is now living in Boston and is working as a firefighter. His life has changed more than he ever thought possible. One day he comes across a familiar face who he thought he'd never see again and it threatens to throw his life on its axis.





	1. Firehouse 51

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place after the events of 3x12 on Shameless.  
> I have always loved the Chicago Fire series so I decided to include some of my favorite characters in this fic. The center focus of the story is still Mickey and Ian. I hope you all enjoy it. 
> 
> P.S. The firefighters call Mickey by a different last name which will be explained in the following chapter.

Mickey Milkovich grew up outrunning cops, throwing fists at anyone who dared cross him, and going on runs with his family that were composed of illegal activity. So, if you had told him that he would work as a public servant someday he would have, in his upmost rudest manner, told you to fuck off. He would have never imagined that he would be going on his third year of work at the Boston Fire Department as a firefighter.

It was your average morning. Mickey was making eggs, frying some turkey sausage, and even had a pot of coffee brewing. He was in his grey work polo and navy blue pants which secured his neatly tucked in shirt. He was undoubtedly at his prime physically. His back and chest were broad, and the cuffs of his shirt hugged his bulging biceps nicely. His quads were firm and very defined making him have an overall stocky appearance. Mickey had even grown an inch in height although his sister Mandy constantly shot that fact down.

“Mmm, smells really good Mickey.” His roommate Leslie Shay said as she appeared into the kitchen sitting promptly on a stool and leaned over the breakfast bar while staring at Mickey who was whipping it up in the kitchen. Mickey threw a bright smile over his shoulder as he reached into the cupboard to pull out Shay’s mug and poured some coffee into it before placing it directly in front of her. He finished cooking the eggs and sausage and distributed an equal amount on to two plates.

Shay flashed a wide smile that revealed her perfectly shaped teeth and her green eyes sparkled at the sight of the breakfast plate Mickey had set in front of her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nostrils as her mouth began to water. “You know if I was straight I’d put a ring on your finger right?” she teased him with a wink as he sat down in the stool next to her. This made Mickey burst into laughter and did the thing that came most natural to him, he flipped her the bird.

They ate in silence while catching up on the newspaper before heading out to their shift at the firehouse. It was oddly domestic and it was something that Mickey had never pictured getting accustomed to.

 

* * *

 

It had been nearly 5 years since he had left Chicago with his sister in tow. It was his uncle Ronnie who had gotten him and Mandy out of the south side. After Ian had skipped town to enlist in the Army, Mickey spent every day getting drunk at the Alibi and passing out in his living room sofa. Mickey had wanted to beg Ian not go, but as usual, his words had failed him and he was left grieving his redheaded lover.

A few weeks after Ian had left, Mickey’s father, Terry, had been hauled off to prison after getting caught with cocaine in his possession while on a run to Indiana. Terry, being a multiple offender and having a rap sheet as long as the bible, was given a 15-year sentence. Soon after his father was arrested, he got a surprise visit from his uncle. Ronnie wasn’t a Milkovich, he was Mickey and Mandy’s uncle from their mother’s side. They had visited him every summer in Massachusetts until their mother had died when Mickey was 10. Both Mickey and Mandy were fond of their uncle but Terry quickly cut ties with everyone from his wife’s side of the family when she passed, and prevented Ronnie from ever contacting or visiting his niece and nephew. 

His uncle Ronnie had stayed at the Milkovich residence for a few weeks after he first arrived. Mandy had called him after she found out that Terry wasn’t getting out of jail anytime soon. She had told him about Mickey’s drinking binge and how she couldn’t get him to snap out of it, she had run out of options. Ronnie was a man with initiative. He spent the first two days getting Mickey to sober up. He had never in his life seen his nephew in such a melancholy state, not even when his mother had passed away.

A week after Ronnie arrived, Svetlana had her baby. After getting the full story from Mandy, the first thing he did was order a paternity test. A few days later he returned with the results. Mickey was laying on his bed staring at the ceiling fan spin as he had been everyday after he sobered up. His uncle sat next to him and told him that the baby wasn’t his, although it didn’t take long to figure that one out seeing as how the kid had blonde hair despite Mickey’s jet black hair.

After a very heated argument with Svetlana, Ronnie had convinced her to sign the divorce papers and in exchange she was to have access to the Milkovich home when they left. Ronnie also threw some money her way to make the process go smoother and ensure she kept her mouth shut in case anyone came asking questions. Svetlana agreed after spitting a few words in her Russian tongue with a disgusted face towards the Milkovich family.

The following day Mickey and Mandy were in their uncle’s SUV driving back to Massachusetts with only two small pieces of luggage packed in the trunk of the car. They drove off and never once looked back.

It was safe to say the Gallaghers had destroyed them in ways they didn’t think were possible. Lip had run off to college without so much as batting an eye even though Mandy had been the one to turn in his applications for him. She was the whole reason he even had a chance at college. Ian was also gone leaving Mickey without the only person he had ever loved, and Mandy without her best friend. Lip and Ian had moved on to better things and Mickey and Mandy would be dammed if they didn’t too.

 

* * *

 

The first few months in Boston had been the hardest. Mickey and Mandy had no idea what they were supposed to do. They lived in their uncle’s home in Dorchester. Ronnie was a widow and never had children of his own which is why he had always been so fond of Mickey and Mandy when they were younger. Mickey eventually took a job in construction and Mandy found work as a server at Chili’s. They didn’t know anyone besides their uncle so they would go to work and head straight back home.

About 4 months after they had arrived in Dorchester, Ronnie took Mickey with him when he visited some familiar faces at his old firehouse. Mickey didn’t know it at the time, but that day would change his whole future. Ronnie was a retired firefighter and visited his old company every so often. He had convinced his former protege, now the battalion chief of the station, to take Mickey on a ride along since he drove a separate vehicle from the rigs. That day, the station got a call about a children’s refuge home that had caught on fire. Mickey sat back and watched the men run straight into the building with not an ounce of hesitance. He had goosebumps the entire time as he watched how fearless the men were. They all worked together in perfect unison. It was the most incredible act he had ever witnessed. Mickey left knowing that he had found his calling.

 

* * *

 

Fast forward a couple of years, an EMT certification, fire academy training, and Mickey was now walking side by side with his paramedic roommate to go to work at Firehouse 51.

“Don’t forget the annual summer barbecue is this weekend. You’re in charge of the grill this year so bring your apron.” Shay teased while nudging Mickey softly in the ribs with her elbow. She was met with a harsh groan as Mickey’s good mood for the morning immediately fell.

“Fuck! How on earth did I get stuck with that shit?” Mickey’s mind was working overtime to remember if he had pissed of the chief lately.

Shay’s piercing green eyes found Mickey’s as she struggled to choke back her laughter. She was absolutely beautiful. She had medium length blonde hair, was of average height and possessed a slender physique. The sound of her laugh could make anyone happy and Mickey could never suppress a smile when he heard it. He couldn’t help but think that if they were both straight, they would definitely be married by now. But in this lifetime, he enjoyed having her as his roommate and confidant. They had both helped one another get through some dark times over the years.

They finally reached the large firehouse on Boylston Street right in the back bay of Boston. It was far from modern, it had beautiful historical bricks all around it and to Mickey it looked like something he would see in a Harry Potter film but that was debatable seeing as how he could never watch a full movie without falling asleep.

Mickey greeted his colleagues as he made his way to the lockers. Unlike the exterior, the interior of the firehouse was very much modern. He finally reached his locker and placed his duffel bag inside while placing his phone in the top compartment.

“Mornin’ Milkyyyy,” his colleague Cruz said making sure to drag out the word as he knew the nickname bothered Mickey to no end. He chuckled as he saw Mickey physically wince at the name.

Mickey rolled his sky-blue eyes before firing back with “yeah yeah, good morning to you too cue ball,” he snickered as he saw the grin on Cruz’s face quickly convert into a deep offended frown. The man’s bald head made things too easy for Mickey.

“Whatever man,” Cruz grumbled out before continuing. “Heard you were pulling a double today, shit’s rough man.”

Mickey scratched at his eyebrow unconsciously and let out a sigh. “Yeah man, our witch of a landlord upped the rent so Shay and I are now scrambling to make sure we can manage for the rest of the year.” Mickey replied as they made their way down the corridor to the kitchen where the rest of the guys were settling in before their shift.

 

* * *

 

It hadn’t been the worst shift in the world but Mickey was tired. He had gotten to sleep a little between his double but he was physically fatigued. He was lucky Shay was also pulling a double so they kept themselves as entertained as possible playing card games in the kitchen as the night continue to roll on.

It wasn’t until 3am that the call came in. A nearby apartment building had caught fire and there were some tenants still inside. Mickey and the rest of the squad quickly shuffled their gear on and took off into the night with Shay and Dawson, another paramedic, following them in the ambulance rig.

They finally arrived and began to get their orders from their chief. Chief Bowden was a tall African American man with a deep, slightly husky voice.

“Mills, Mouch, I want you to vent the roof,” he ordered loudly. “Severide, Monroe, get in there and see what you’re working with, head to the top floor. Landlord says there’s a few people unaccounted for inside. Casey and Cruz will work the bottom floors.”

“Got it Chief.” Mickey replied as he made his way to the building following Lieutenant Severide closely.

Severide and Mickey made their way through the first floor to reach the stairs at the end of the hall, it was extremely difficult to see, there was just so much smoke everywhere. Once they reached the stairs, they continued making their way up until they reached the third floor.

The third floor wasn’t any better than the first. Everything in front of them was barely visible. Mickey’s adrenaline was kicking in high as he tried his hardest to look for any signs of life.

“Over there!” Mickey yelled as he pointed to a young woman passed out in the small hallway completely unconscious. She had gotten as far as leaving her apartment but hadn’t gotten very far after that. Severide rushed to her and swiftly picked her up and pulled her over his shoulder with ease.

 _“Severide. Monroe. The smoke is turning black, I need you to get to the roof now. You can’t go down.”_ Chief Bowden’s voice cut through their radios. “Alright Chief, making our way up now. We’ve cleared the floor.” Severide replied quickly.

“Mick, come on, hurry.” Severide said as he made his way down the hall to the stairs. Mickey quickly followed him but stopped dead in his tracks suddenly. His feet planted firmly in front of a door that read room 31. He turned his face and saw Severide making his way up the stairs to the roof. He turned his attention back to the door in front of him, it was slightly ajar and he felt as if his entire body was being pulled in its direction. Like something was calling out to him. Before he could process what he was doing, he kicked the door in and made his way inside. He stopped at the entrance, struggling to see as the smoke was worsening. He scanned the living area and could barely make out the figure in the distance.

 _“Monroe, what the hell are you doing?! Make your way up NOW!”_ the noise from his radio cut through his thoughts.

“Chief, I think I found someone, I need a minute.” he replied as he sprinted in the direction of the figure.

“ _Monroe, you don't have a minute, I need you to pull back, you won’t make it out on time. That’s an order,_ ” his chief’s voice was barely audible through how loud his heart was beating inside his chest. It seemed to drown out any other noise.

Mickey knew he didn’t have much time left but as he made his way through the room he found what he was looking for. It was a young man, he was lying faced down so Mickey couldn’t see his face. He quickly lifted the man and hurled him over his shoulder as he sprinted as fast as he ever had down the hall and up the stairs. He could feel the fire rising from the bottom floor. He used his adrenaline to push through the heaviness in his legs. For a moment he thinks he won’t make it but he finally reached the door that led to the roof where his colleagues were waiting for him. As he crossed the threshold, a large _boom_ from below threatened to knock him off his feet. He could feel the warm blistering heat of the fire make its way through the vent that was a few feet behind him.

It’s his fellow firefighter Peter Mills who quickly takes the young man off his shoulder which allows Mickey to steady himself. Behind him, the rest of the firefighters use the ladder to get the young man down to the ambulance to get treated. Mickey’s breath is ragged and uneven as he leaned forward resting his hands on his knees.

Severide had made his way over to him and was now standing directly behind him, “You okay?” he asked putting a hand on the small of Mickey’s back. Mickey could only nod gently, still trying to even his breathing.

As he straightened himself, Mickey could see everyone was staring at him quietly with fear and concern swimming in their eyes. It’s Severide who breaks the silence. “Don’t ever pull some shit like that again. Fuck Mick, you almost didn’t make it.” The older man’s voice barely audible as the last few words resonated deep within Mickey. The men began to make their way down the ladder. Mickey took a deep breath before following suit.

 

* * *

 

Back on the street, the young man Mickey had saved was now on a stretcher and being pulled into the ambulance. He was being rushed to the hospital because he was unresponsive. In the back of the rig Shay continued to treat him. She shined a light in his eyes to assess his pupils, pulled an oxygen mask over his mouth, and then moved to treat the large gash across his hairline which was bleeding heavily. As she was treating him, she noticed the young man had light green eyes with a small number of freckles that were distributed evenly across his pale cheekbones. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think he was sort of beautiful. What mesmerized her more than anything was his fiery orange and red hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first fic I have written. I have always wanted to write something for Ian and Mickey after reading so many wonderful stories on this platform. Please feel free to leave comments and kudos if you like.


	2. Friendly Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey deals with the consequences of his actions the night before.  
> Shay befriends a stranger at the hospital.  
> The annual summer barbecue brings Mickey an unexpected surprise.

Mickey was making his way to Chief Bowden’s office and he was already dreading the conversation he was going to have to endure. As expected, Bowden ripped him a new one for disobeying a direct order, although, to Mickey’s surprise, his Chief didn’t look all that upset. He knew Bowden was a reasonable guy and deep down he probably would’ve done the same thing had he been in Mickey’s shoes last night.

After completing his rant Bowden closed his eyes and released a very tired sigh, “take a few days Monroe, think about things and come back to work next week with your game face on. You understand why I have to do this right?” Mickey stood with his arms crossed and nodded lightly in response.

“There’s a young man out there who is alive because of what you did. But if you want to become a lieutenant one day and expect your guys to listen to your orders, you need to be able to follow them first,” after a small pause Bowden added, “You did good work. Take today and tomorrow off and I expect you to be at the barbecue on Saturday, you’re not getting out of grill duty.” Chief Bowden let a small smile slip before quickly turning his attention to the paperwork in front of him.

“Go on,” he said without looking up. “Close the door on your way out.”

Mickey turned about face to head out of the office before stopping dead in his tracks and turning back around. He scratched at his eyebrows while opening his mouth to ask one last question. “Hey Chief?” Bowden didn’t bother to look up as he responded. “What is it Monroe?” he asked as he continued reading over the documents on his desk.

“What exactly did I do to get stuck with grill duty this year? It’s been killing me.” Mickey could not for the life of him think of what he could have done to deserve such a punishment. Granted grill duty wasn’t the worst thing in the world but nobody actually wanted to spend the majority of the barbecue flipping burgers and cooking hot dogs.

Chief Bowden finally looked up to meet Mickey’s baby blue eyes. Bowden let out a small chuckle before replying. “You forgot to put the milk back in the fridge after your double last weekend. Cruz was very upset he couldn’t enjoy his cookie crisp in the morning before his shift.”

Mickey let out a deep sigh, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to keep himself calm. Of course, it had to be Cruz out of all people to land him that gig. After a moment he made his way towards the door and once he was out of the office he mumbled a low “fuckkkkk,” before heading out of the firehouse to walk back home.

 

* * *

 

On the other side of town, Shay was unloading a gurney that contained an elderly woman who had collapsed outside of a grocery store. After making her way into the hospital to pass her over to the ER staff, she walked over to the nurse’s station to fill out the paperwork before heading back to the firehouse. Dawson had taken a moment to use the bathroom.

“Hey Brenda.” Shay said with a smile as she got started on the paperwork.

“Hey Shay, rough afternoon already?” The woman replied, she wore blue scrubs and had pale skin with long black hair.

“That’s an understatement, third call this shift,” she scribbled some more information before continuing, “Mandy here? Haven’t seen her in a while.”

The nurse turned her back to retrieve some documents that were being printed behind her. “She’s down in Atlanta completing a training, she’ll be back Saturday in the morni-” she stopped mid-sentence when she caught sight of a tall young man walking out of his room.

“SIR. Excuse me, SIR. You need to get back to your room, you can’t just wonder the halls.” Brenda was tiny but extremely intimidating when you pissed her off. The phones started ringing off the hook and the nurse was forced to draw her attention back to her station.

She picked up the phone but placed her hand over it while looking at Shay with a pleading face. “He’s in the room at the end, can you see to it that he gets back? Please? I’m swamped.” She looked desperately at Shay with puppy eyes and a pout to match.

Shay rolled her eyes at the tactic the tiny nurse had used but she eventually caved. “Fine, but you owe me Brenda, I mean it.” The nurse smiled triumphantly before continuing her call. Dawson was now standing next to Shay so she slid her the clipboard so that she could take over.

Shay turned around to escort the man behind her and immediately froze when she recognized the redhead with the scorching green eyes. A slight smirk made its way to her face. _Un-freaking-believable,_ Shay thought to herself as she approached him.

“Ah, a rebellious ginger huh? Come on tough guy, let’s get you back to your room.” She said as she placed her arm through his and started to walk down the hall.

“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to start anything, I just need access to a phone and I think the nurse is tired of how many times I ask,” he explained. They made their way into the room and Shay helped him into his bed.

“You have to cut Brenda some slack, they’re understaffed this weekend,” she reached into her jacket pocket and handed her phone over to the young man. “Here, you can use mine.”

The man was surprised by the gesture but quickly recovered. “Oh, um, thanks,” he replied as he began to dial a familiar number.

Shay sat at the corner of the bed as she watched the man speak on the phone. She remembered him as the guy she had brought in very early in the morning from the apartment building that had caught fire. She noted that he looked well, thankfully, even though his forehead was slightly swollen from the wound she helped clean up in the ambulance.

“Hey Lip, it’s me,” the man said. “Yeah, I’m fine, I should be getting out tonight.”

There was a pause which Shay assumed was the person on the other line responding, though she couldn’t really hear anything despite how quiet the room was.

“You’re not getting back till Saturday? Fuck,” after another pause the man continued, “I don’t have shit on me, just some loose bills in my pocket. Everything else is probably ash by now… don’t worry, I’ll figure it out.”

Shay could see the defeated face the young man wore. “Yeah man, love you too. I’ll see you when I see you… bye,” he hung up and passed the phone back over to Shay. “Thanks, I really appreciate it,” he tried to give her a genuine smile but his sad puppy face betrayed him.

Shay nodded before speaking, “So, got any family to stay with? You know… since you lost your things in the fire and everything?” she asked softly.

The young man set his eyes downcast and shook his head. “No, I just moved here for college last week. My brother has a temporary apartment in Somerville but he’s in Dallas at some nerd conference for work,” he replied, still not looking at Shay. “S’okay though, I’ll figure it out.”

Shay knew what it was like to have nowhere to go. There was a time where she had been in his exact same shoes. Someone had helped her in her time of need and she felt inclined to the same for him.

Her train of thought was interrupted when the man spoke up.

“You look familiar,” he said, though it almost sounded like a question.

She gave him a gentle smile. “I brought you in early this morning, it was our firehouse that responded at the scene.” In the back of her mind she couldn’t help but think that he also looked familiar for another reason but she couldn’t quite place her finger on it. She decided it was probably best to drop it for now.

She was about to speak again when she felt her phone buzz in her jacket pocket. She quickly fished it out to see she had a text.

[Mick 2:32pm] _Bowden told me to take today and tomorrow off. Gonna use the time to visit my uncle. See you on Saturday?_

[Shay 2:32pm] _You bet. Tell Ronnie I say hi._

[Shay 2:32pm] _You okay?_

[Mick 2:33pm] _Yeah. Don’t worry._

After putting her phone back in her pocket she glanced back at the sad little ginger puppy in front of her.

“Quit your pouting. You can, uh, stay with me,” she offered.

The man’s eyes immediately shot up and hesitated before replying, “I couldn’t… I mean, I don’t want to put you out or anything… plus you don’t even know me. What if I’m a serial killer,” he babbled out.

Shay immediately rolled her eyes and began to laugh. “You got any better, more enticing offers? Plus, if you lay a finger on me my roommate will literally kill you,” her tone turned serious towards the end before she quickly recovered her smile.

They were interrupted by Dawson who had peaked inside the room motioning it was time to go. Shay quickly got on her feet and made her way to door. She turned around to address the redhead before heading out.

“I’ll pick you up at 7 when my shift ends. What’s your name again?”

“Ian… Ian Gallagher,” he offered with a smile, the sad puppy face diminishing.

“Cool. I’m Leslie, Leslie Shay… I’ll see you later Ian Gallagher,” she returned his smile and turned to leave. And with that she was out of the room and out of sight from the redheaded boy who sat there counting his blessings as she left.

 

* * *

 

After picking up a few things back at his place, Mickey got into his car and drove south to his uncle’s home in Dorchester. With Mandy being gone Mickey knew his uncle would be lonely, though he would never admit to his niece and nephew. It took him about 20 minutes to drive out of the city but he finally pulled up to the very familiar house.

He hauled his duffel bag out of the car and tossed it over his shoulder as he made his way up the few steps in front of the house. He knocked three times and waited.

The door opened a few moments later to reveal a tall older man with black hair that was fading into grey. When the man spotted Mickey, he couldn’t help but break out into a giant smile and pulled his nephew into a bear hug. It had taken him a while, but Mickey was finally comfortable allowing people close to him to touch him freely.

After separating from the hug the two men made their way inside the house. Mickey placed his bag by the door and followed his uncle to the living room area.

“Well this is a surprise. How you been kid? It’s been a few months,” Ronnie sat back in his chair to take in the sight of his nephew. He couldn’t help but notice that Mickey continued to look stronger every time he saw him. He was so darn proud of the man that sat across from him.

Mickey nodded, feeling slightly guilty for not being around as much as he would like to be. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Things have been pretty crazy at the firehouse and I’ve been, uh, working with Severide to get all my certifications to put in my paperwork for rescue squad.” Mickey replied, he searched his uncle’s face for any indication as to what he may be thinking.

After about a minute of silence, Ronnie finally spoke up. “Rescue Squad, huh?” his eyebrows shot up as he waited for his nephew to confirm. Mickey nodded lightly in confirmation. His uncle’s approval and blessing meant everything to him. Hell, his uncle was the whole reason he was able to become a firefighter to begin with.

Ronnie let out a slow, low whistle before breaking out into a full grin. “That’s great Mick, really,” he assured his nephew and leaned forward to give him a light pat on the back.

Mickey released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and responded with a toothy smile. A moment later Mickey was betrayed by his stomach when it let out a loud growl. Ronnie laughed and stood up signaling for Mickey to follow.

“Come on, I’ve got lunch all set up. Spaghetti and meatballs, your favorite,” his uncle entered the kitchen and began to fill two large plates with food. “You stayin’ the night?” he turned his head towards the door and pointed to the duffel bag with his chin.

Mickey sat down at the dining table, excited to indulge in his uncle’s cooking again. “Yeah, if that’s okay? I thought I could stay and we could ride to the barbecue together on Saturday. You know Bowden wants your geriatric ass there to make him feel young again,” he teased.

Ronnie couldn’t help but laugh as he placed the plates on the table and sat across from his nephew. “Ah, it’s always good to have you back Mick,” he said, and the two men dug into their food and began catching up on all that had happened since they last saw one another.

 

* * *

 

Ian was asleep in the hospital bed until a light knock woke him up. His eyes fluttered open slowly and he let out a deep yawn. He checked the time on the clock in front of him and realized he had been asleep ever since Shay left a little before 3pm. Nurse Brenda walked in with a clipboard that held a small stack of papers together.

“Alright Mr. Gallagher, you are stable and healthy enough to go home. I just need you to fill these papers out before I can discharge you,” she handed him the clipboard and produced a pen from one of the pockets on her scrubs.

“Do you have someone to pick you up? You shouldn’t be driving on your meds.” she stated.

As if on a cue, Ian could see a familiar blonde paramedic rushing down the hall towards his room.

“I’m here!” Shay yelled as she almost tripped trying to run inside the room. She was breathless and had to lean forward and put her hands on her knees to steady herself. She took a deep breath before trying to talk again. “I made it… Sorry I’m late,” after regaining her composure she stared at the people across from her and flashed them her charming smile.

She placed a tote bag on the tray table next to Ian’s bed and began to unpack everything it carried. “Okay so I got you brand new underwear, a pair of basketball shorts and an old t-shirt courtesy of my roommate, and a burner phone so you can call your family while we wait for the stores to open up tomorrow,” she glanced around for a moment as if deciding if she had everything she wanted before speaking up again, “Yup! That’s everything,” she said looking up at Ian with another one of her bright smiles.

“If I bash my head against the door will you take me in too, momma Shay?” Nurse Brenda asked teasingly.

Shay rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the woman.

 

* * *

 

Shay pulled up to the side of a series of brownstone townhomes and began to walk up a few stairs to what Ian assumed was her home.

“Oh, I forgot to ask, you’re not allergic to dogs, right?” her eyebrows furrowed as she mentally facepalmed herself for forgetting such a critical question back at the hospital.

Ian shook his head in reply and she smiled and opened the door. They were greeted by a heavy muscle medium sized dog that Ian was sure was some kind of Pitbull mix. The dog had a copper coat and was missing an eye. He also noted that the dog was a boy and wore many scars on his body.

“Hello my little cutie!” Shay’s voice changed into a baby talking tone as she got down to pet the dog all over its body.

After a few minutes of rolling on the floor with the dog, Shay seemed to remember she had company and quickly stood up.

“Sorry, I get a little caught up sometimes,” she said with a chuckle, her cheeks blushing a bit.

“This is Bowser. My roommate found him when the firehouse was called into an abandoned building that had a gas leak. He was in really bad shape but he’s a fighter, and now he’s a part of the family.”

Ian slowly kneeled and offered his hand to the dog for him to sniff. The dog did just that and began to shake his tail like crazy and smiled at Ian, which he took as a promising sign.

“YES!” Shay shouted from the kitchen. She peeked her head out to address a startled and confused Ian. “Roomie left us his homemade lasagna, I’m going to warm some for us and then I’ll show you around the place.”

After Shay finished heating the lasagna dish, they sat in the dining room to have dinner. Ian had never tasted anything more delicious than the lasagna Shay had brought out. He had three helpings before he felt truly satisfied.

“Man that was good, _Jesus_ ,” he said as he pushed his plate away and leaned back on the chair. He would need a solid 10 minutes before he could even attempt to walk.

Shay smiled in satisfaction. “So what’s your story Ian Gallagher?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, tell me about yourself. Help me sleep reassured tonight that I didn’t welcome a killer in my house or something,” she teased with a grin, referencing what he had said to her earlier at the hospital.

Ian thought things over in his head before starting.

“Well, let’s see, I was born and raised in Chicago, on the south side. I’m the middle child of a family of 6 and my parents suck. My older sister pretty much raised us… not much else really.”

Shay nodded in acceptance. She squirmed in her chair for a moment before speaking up. “And, uh, how long ago were you diagnosed as bipolar?” she asked in a low, soft voice, staring at Ian through her eyelashes.

Ian immediately tensed. He was completely thrown off by her blunt and direct question. He hesitated for about a minute before speaking up.

“How do you know?” he avoided her gaze and stared at the empty plate in front of him.

“Your medications,” she pointed towards the counter. “My aunt was bipolar, so I recognize the meds. That and you know, I am a paramedic after all,” she gestured towards herself.

After an extended moment of silence between them, Ian finally looked up at Shay. He studied her expression. Usually people gave him a look of pity or judgement but he didn’t see any of that in Shay. For the first time, he actually felt comfortable. It was probably due to the fact that she knew what it was like, even if it was from an outsider’s perspective.

“About 5 years ago, when I was 16.” he finally muttered. There was pause on Ian’s behalf before he spoke again, “Thanks.”

Shay’s neutral face dropped, “what for?” she asked quizzically.

“For not looking at me like I’m about to go off the rails at any moment or treating me like I’m made of glass,” he paused before continuing, “that’s why I moved out of my house, you know? I couldn’t take how different everyone treated me. Especially my family.”

Shay took a moment before nodding in comprehension, “there’s nothing wrong with you Ian. You need a little help to get by, so what? My aunt was the best person in the world. She had her moments, but her meds kept her in check and she lived a good life. I owe her everything.”

“Did something happen to her?” he asked softly. Ian had picked up on her usage of past tenses

“She died of a stroke three years ago. I’m originally from Baltimore,” she began, “Imagine being gay in a highly religious family. When I was 17, my parents had gone on a vacation and I was messing around with a girl from school in my room since I thought I had the place to myself. Turns out my mom got sick and they came home early. I didn’t hear them come in, so my dad walked in on her and I, you know,” she gestured vaguely before continuing.

“My dad was furious. I had never seen him so mad. Long story short, he wouldn’t have an ‘abomination’ living under his roof so he kicked me out. I had nowhere to go but my aunt took me in. I’ve been living in Boston ever since,” she said. “Figured, if we’re spilling our deepest darkest secrets, I may contribute a little,” she offered with a sad smile.

Ian barely knew the woman who sat across from him, but he felt so at ease with her. She didn’t beat around the bush, she was honest, and most of all, like Ian, she was a little broken.

Shay got up abruptly and emerged moments later with a bottle of whiskey, a bottle of OJ, and two glasses. “It’s been a long day,” she explained. She poured some orange juice in one of the glasses and passed it over to Ian. “Sorry kid, you can’t drink on your meds,” she offered, though Ian didn’t mind.

She poured some Jack Daniels into her glass before shrugging her shoulders and splashed some orange juice in her glass as well.

“Really?” Ian asked with a skeptical look plastered on his face. “Jack Daniels and orange juice?”

“Hey,” Shay defended, “they mix better than you’d imagine,” she said, throwing a wink in his direction. “Plus we have orange juice by the gallons in our fridge, my roommate can’t get enough of it,” she added.

They continued their conversation for a few more hours until Shay was nearly three sheets to the wind. She showed Ian to the third floor where the attic was. To Ian’s surprise, it was huge and very well maintained. It had been transformed into a mini bachelor pad. It had a 40” flat screen and shelves filled with DVDs, CDs, and books. Shay turned the sofa into a makeshift bed which Ian later learned was actually called a futon.

After Shay retreated to her room, Ian made himself comfortable underneath the soft fleece blanket and plush pillow. He stared up at the ceiling that came together in an upside down “V” formation. There were two square windows on each side.

He couldn’t see stars seeing as how he was in the city, but he could see the moon clearly from the windows. It was a beautiful full moon that brought in light amid the darkness of the night. It was the last thing Ian saw before he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

 

* * *

 

Ian woke up Friday morning to an empty house. Shay had left a box of donuts on the kitchen counter along with season 1 of Game of Thrones. She had also left him a note.

_Morning Red,_

_I left to go get groceries to prepare for tomorrow’s barbecue. Enjoy a sugar filled breakfast, you look like you need it. Sit back and watch GoT, otherwise you’ll have to find another place to stay, we’re all about house Stark in this household. Call me if you need anything._

_Shay_

Ian laughed and picked up a red velvet donut. He scarfed it down quickly and took his meds. He grabbed the DVD set and took it upstairs with him. It wasn’t until he reached the attic that he noticed someone was trailing him.

“Hey boy, you want to watch TV with me?” he asked, smiling down at Bowser who replied with a bark. Ian placed the first DVD into the player and sat back on the futon with Bowser sprawled out by his legs.

Ian got all the way through episode 3 when Bowser quickly got on his feet and started running down the stairs. Guessing that meant Shay was home he too started to make his way down.

“Hey there sunshine,” Shay said, smiling as she carried 10 bags into the kitchen. Ian followed her and helped unpack everything.

“We’ve got a lot of baking to do. You up for the challenge Gallagher?” she asked, full grin present.

Ian shrugged, “gotta earn my keep somehow, right?” he asked. Shay nodded playfully and they got started on making brownies and cupcakes.

They worked furiously and tirelessly for hours, finishing at about 8pm at night. They had baked enough to feed a small army, which Shay assured Ian would be the case tomorrow.

Shay had ordered a pizza for dinner and they retreated to the attic to watch a movie before calling it a night. Ian really enjoyed spending time with Shay. She was incredibly funny and it made Ian realize he hadn’t experienced much of a friendship in the past few years. He missed having close friends outside of his family.

When Shay chose Under Siege, Ian couldn’t help but comment, “I’m more of a Van Damme man myself, just have to put it out there,” he said nonchalantly.

Shay rolled her eyes, “sit back and watch the world’s most powerful fucking ponytail,” she said, throwing a few popcorn pieces at Ian.

Ian threw his hands up in surrender and laughed. When they both turned their attention to the screen, he smiled softly, reminiscing for a moment on what someone had told him once about that very same ponytail.

 

* * *

 

Saturday brought forth the perfect day. The weather was in the high 60s with not a cloud in the sky. Mickey arrived at Pier’s Park with his uncle in tow to help setup. He had driven his car and brought his things back with him as Mandy would eventually be making an appearance and would drive their uncle back home.

The first time he attended an annual barbecue Mickey had felt so out of place. He wasn’t used to such gatherings and he absolutely hated making small talk with people from other departments. His guys at 51 however, never left a man behind. They broke Mickey out of his shell by having him join them in a game of football and if there was one thing he loved, it was to tackle the shit out of someone.

This was now Mickey’s third summer barbecue with the firehouse and he was now an expert. The guys had to come in early and help set up all the tables and chairs while the old guys like Chief Bowden and his uncle Ronnie got to sit back and relax. It was just how things were.

He was greeted by his men, every one of them was in attendance. It only took them about half an hour to set everything up and people were trickling in little by little. By noon almost 100 people were gathered around. It wasn’t just limited to the firehouse either, some cops and people from the hospital that were close to the firehouse joined in on the fun too.

After grilling for about an hour, Mills came up to him and handed him a beer which he finished in one motion.

“I’m taking over to prepare for lunch, the guys are waiting for you to start the next game,” he motioned towards the field of grass a few feet away. Mickey arched his eyebrow, curious as to why Mills was getting him off the hook but he didn’t say a word. Instead he nodded and ran as fast as he could before Mills could change his mind.

He jogged towards where Severide, Casey, and Cruz were waiting, along with some off duty cops from the area. As Mickey slowed down once he got closer, someone came from behind him and tackled him down. He landed hard on the grass.

“What the fuck?” he grumbled. He turned around to find a very familiar face grinning down at him.

“Always watch your surroundings, you should know that better than anyone Mick,” the handsome stranger extended his hand out to help the other man up.

Mickey couldn’t help but laugh as he took the stranger's hand and helped himself. “Fuck are you doing here Jones? thought your ass was still in school” he said as they made their way closer to the rest of the group.

“Almost done, I came to see Severide for the weekend. And you know I would _never_ miss out on the food… by the way, it’ll be Dr. Jones soon” he said, throwing Mickey a wink as they settled into opposite teams. Mickey simply flipped him the bird and lined himself up for the game.

 

* * *

 

Mickey and the guys from the firehouse destroyed the team of cops in football. Mickey was happy because fuck the police. Even though he worked closely with them, he still didn’t trust them. Somethings never change.

Everyone disbursed after the game and made their way towards the tables to wait for lunch to start. Mickey walked off towards the coolers to grab himself a beer to cool down. Sweat was heavily running down his face. He used his white tank top to wipe it off.

He snapped the beer can open and began to chug it down, it felt amazing going down his throat.

“Easy there tiger, you tryin’ to get drunk before lunch?” Shay asked as she made her way towards him. As usual, she was one of the last ones to arrive. The girl had no sense of time.

“Fuck off. We just kicked District 12’s ass in football. I think I deserve this” he stepped back for a moment to analyze her before shrugging his shoulders.

“Glad to see that guy you let slum it at our place didn’t chop you into pieces. You know I really preferred when you brought home stray cats and not stray people,” he said with scowl. He would never admit it, but he had been a little worried about her when he was gone. He had texted her every day to make sure she was okay.

“You know Bowser would never let anything happen to me,” she told him as she punched him lightly in the arm. Shay had learned how to show Mickey affection in a way he could accept it. “He’s pretty cool, I think you’ll like him.” Shay waved someone over and Mickey simply rolled his eyes.

He turned around as Shay was speaking next to him. “This is him,” she gestured towards to man that was now standing only a foot in front of Mickey. “Ginger, this is my roommate Mickey.”

When Mickey turned around he immediately froze. His blue eyes locked on familiar green ones. For a moment, he sees the person in front of him how he saw him last: a skinny 16 year old boy with a buzz cut and orange hair. He watches as that boy slowly transforms into the man standing before him. The one person he thought he would never see again.

 _Ian_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left comments and kudos, I really do appreciate all the support! I know this was a bit of a slower chapter but it's all about the build up! I can't wait to share chapter 3 with you all soon. I have a lot planned, hope you stay tuned.


	3. Flaring Tempers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian is reunited with a pair of siblings he hasn't seen in a long time. Mickey and Lip go head to head in an argument over Ian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay! I am completing a summer program and have been away from my laptop which delayed my writing process. Now that it is coming to an end I will hopefully be updating more frequently. Thanks for your patience, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a bit slow burn but it'll pick up soon. I wanted to get this out ASAP so I'll be editing for mistakes this week.
> 
> Also, I pictured Colton Haynes as Matt Jones (visually) when writing this.

For the first time in 5 years, Mickey found himself standing directly in front of Ian. Blue eyes were locked on green ones and it was as if everything else disappeared. A million thoughts raced through Mickey’s mind but Ian’s appearance dominated over all others. Ian had grown into a perfectly handsome man. He was taller than Mickey remembered and he had outgrown the awkward lanky kid phase. He was beautiful, and Mickey could not believe Ian was truly there with him.

They weren’t sure how long they had stood there just staring at one another but they were woken from their thought induced haze by a loud whistle that caused everyone around them to stop too.

Chief Bowden was signaling that lunch would start soon. All the guys from the firehouse as well as their invited friends began to line up as they waited for Mills to finish up a few more items on the grill. Mickey was soon dragged away from Ian by his fellow men before he could get an actual word out.

Shay stood silently next to Ian. She was more confused than ever as to what had just occurred in front of her. She rarely saw her roommate get flustered by someone’s presence, so she knew there was something going on between Ian and Mickey. Shay had never been the type of person to badger someone for information, despite her curiosity, so she decided to wait to see if Mickey or Ian threw her a bone.

Shay lightly nudged at Ian on the ribs. “Come on kiddo, we should get in line if we want to eat before the guys destroy everything,” she said, motioning towards the growing line.

Mickey got pulled into a conversation with the Chief and Antonio Dawson, a local detective and Gabriela Dawson’s older brother. Though he tried his hardest from doing so, Mickey’s eyes drifted to Ian’s direction where the redhead was in deep conversation with Shay.

Mickey was the last one to fill his plate with food. He headed back to the main table where only two empty seats remained. There was one directly next to Ian on one end of the table and as tempting as it was, Mickey needed to think clearly and process the situation. He opted to sit between Severide and Jones on the other end of the table.

Before everyone was allowed to eat, Chief Bowden stood to give his usual speech.

“Thank you everyone for joining us on this beautiful day. We have been so lucky to be able to keep this tradition going for the past 7 years. There are still many familiar faces, but there are plenty of new faces in the crowd as well. I welcome you if you’re new. Over the past few years, we have gone through many ups and down. We have lost parts of our family and gained new ones. I am thankful for each and every one of you that is here with us today.

Now let’s eat!” The Chief concluded.

There was loud whooping and cheering that filled the park from all the people. It subsided a few moments later when the hunger settled and everyone began to dig into their plates.

Soon all the tables were filled with chatter among the different groups of people. Mickey easily fell into conversation with the guys around him, though his mind was filled with thoughts of Ian.

Sensing his distraction, Jones pulled Mickey close with a soft hand on the back of the other man’s neck. “You okay?” he asked Mickey, his forehead wrinkled due to his concern.

Mickey faked a small smile and nodded and fell back into the conversation he was having with Severide about the rest of his squad training.

On the other side of the table, Shay felt Ian tense next to her. The interaction between Jones and Mickey had not gone unnoticed by him. A wave of jealousy washed over him and his stomach felt like it was turning deep within him.

Though he hadn’t seen Mickey in years, he couldn’t help his natural feelings. He envied how the other unknown man was able to share such a personal moment with Mickey.

Ian felt a firm hand grip his shoulder which forced him to snap out his jealous thoughts and look up.

“Hello. I’m Chief Bowden. I don’t think we’ve met,” the large black man said, extending his hand out to Ian.

Ian quickly shook it and returned the man’s kind smile. “No sir, we haven’t. I’m Ian Gallagher. I just moved to Boston, not long ago,” Ian explained.

The Chief nodded in acknowledgement. “Welcome to Boston Ian,” the man said kindly. “If Shay brought you around us, you must be important,” he said carefully, smiling softly at Shay. From the corner of his eye, Ian could see Shay nodding gently.

Chief Bowden pointed to the end of the table. “These are some of my men.” He shot them a knowing look and soon the guys were focused on Ian and began to introduce themselves.

A man with short, dirty blonde hair introduced himself first. “Matt Casey, Lieutenant of Truck 49,” he said with a wave. He looked to be in his late twenties.

Next to him was a young, spirited man. He couldn’t have been any older than Ian. He had tan skin and short wavy black hair. He also wore a small gap between his two front teeth, but that didn’t stop him from giving Ian a giant toothy welcoming smile. “I’m Peter Mills, but you can call me Pete. I’m the newest candidate on 49,” he said proudly.

A man with beautiful eyes that were a perfect combination of both blue and green stared at Ian. His facial expression wasn’t mean nor was it welcoming. It was simply indifferent. “Kelly Severide, Lieutenant of Squad 3,” he announced. His attention quickly left Ian. Though his hair was black, it had a silver tint to it. He was also tan, though Ian could tell it was from being in the sun too much. He too, was around Lt. Casey’s age.

Mickey was up next. His heart was beating loudly in his chest. He hadn’t spoken to Ian in what felt like a lifetime. His whole mouth felt dry but he forced himself to swallow before speaking. “Mickey Monroe, I’m part of Truck 49,” he managed to spit out. He had been staring at his plate while he spoke but he finally managed to look up and meet Ian’s eyes. Though they’d grown up together, at this moment they felt like strangers. Mickey could not read Ian’s expression.

If Ian was confused at Mickey’s introduction, especially since he now carried a new last name, he sure didn’t show it.

Soon Ian’s attention shifted to the man sitting next to Mickey, and the reason for his jealous episode a few moments earlier.

“I’m Matt Jones,” The handsome man said, “and I’m not a firefighter, just related to one,” he explained, pointing towards Severide.

“Ah, don’t be so modest,” Chief Bowden interrupted. “Jones here is graduating from Columbia University’s medical school next week. We’re incredibly proud of him.”’

Jones smiled sheepishly and nodded.

A few others around the table introduced himself but Ian quickly forgot what they had said. He spoke to Chief Bowden briefly before the man had to excuse himself after the arrival of a man that made everyone in the table tense up. He left to speak privately with the man, Lt. Severide in tow.

Ian spoke with Shay and Gabriela Dawson, Shay’s paramedic colleague. He was in deep conversation when he felt someone sit down in the empty chair next to him.

“Ugh,” the woman grunted. “Sorry I’m late. The traffic out of the airport was awful. But what else is knew?” she said.

Ian’s neck immediately snapped towards her direction. He could recognize that voice anywhere.

“Mandy?” he whispered.

The woman’s eyes widened crazily. They both stared at one another briefly before simultaneously hugging one another fiercely. Ian held Mandy tightly, his eyes closed, and letting go of a deep breath he didn’t know he had been holding Ian.

After a few moments, they finally let one another go. Ian leaned away from her to get a good look at her. Mandy was now blonde and even more beautiful than he remembered. Her face glowed, it brought a smile to his face.

She stood up abruptly and pulled him with away from the table. “Come on fuckhead,” she said guiding him towards a bench a few feet away. “We need to talk.” Ian couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face. _Yup, definitely Mandy_.

They spoke for what felt like hours. Ian told Mandy everything that had happened over the past 5 years, what happened with his apartment and how Shay had helped him out.

“Jesus Ian. You can never stay out of trouble can you?” she teased with a smirk planted on her face. “What the fuck are you gonna do now?”

“I need to find a place to live, and soon. I start summer classes at UMass Boston on Monday,” he scratched nervously at the back of his head before continuing. “Uh, Lip is living in Somerville. He’s finishing up an internship at MIT. I’m staying with him until I can figure out what to do,” he finished, his voice growing softer as mentioned his brother.

Mandy hesitated before finally speaking up. “I’ve been apartment hunting for a while now. Boston isn’t cheap, Ian.” She explained. “Do you want to see if we can find a place together?” she asked, feeling shy all of a sudden.

“Really?” Ian asked, genuinely surprised.

Mandy nodded softly. “Yes. I’ve missed you so much Ian. You have no idea.” She replied. “Shit, if this isn’t faith then I don’t know what is.” She joked, causing the redhead to break into laughter.

“Yeah, you’re probably right Mands. Honestly, that sounds great. Thanks,” he threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled his childhood best friend tightly towards him. Mandy leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, taking the moment in.

They were pulled from the moment when Ian’s phone went off. He quickly fished his phone from his pocket to see he had a text from Lip.

[Lip 3:44pm] _Yo, pulling in to the park. Keep an eye out._

Ian let out a low sigh before pulling apart from Mandy.

“It’s Lip. He’s here.” Ian explained.

“Oh,” Mandy replied, looking down at her hands. She abruptly stood up and pulled Ian into another tight hug. “I’ll talk to you soon okay? Take care of yourself Ian. I’ll keep you posted on the apartment stuff. I’ll handle it.” She reassured him with a kind smile.

Ian nodded and began to pull away from her gently. He walked back to the table to say goodbye to Shay and thank her for everything she had done for him.

Though still confused, Shay said goodbye to her new friend and saw him off. Ian looked for Mickey but he had been pulled into an important conversation according to Shay. Lip was starting to blow up his phone so Ian was forced to leave without speaking to Mickey. Though it didn’t sit well with him, he didn’t think he’d know what to say anyways.

Ian found Lip near the entrance and got into his brother’s car.

“Hey man, you okay?” Lip asked, examining his brother from head to toe.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” he replied, as they drove out of the park and back into the city.

 

* * *

 

Though he hadn’t expected to be back at his uncle’s house so soon, Mickey found himself parked off to the side of the familiar street. He needed to talk to his sister.

Mandy sat on the stairs of the front porch. The sun was setting in the sky, filling it with hues of orange and yellow.

Mickey plopped down next to his sister and ran his thumb over his eyebrow, as usually did out of habit.

“Jesus fuck Mandy.” Mickey said, sighing loudly. “Is he really here?” he asked, his voice lower now.

“Yes Mick, and that’s not all of it. Lip’s here too.” She explained.

Mickey let out a deep groan. “Fucking hell. The fuck is that bastard doing here?” he asked, though Mandy knew Mickey didn’t truly care for an answer.

“There’s something I gotta tell you Mands,” he said, staring at the sunset in front of them. Mandy raised a single eyebrow, encouraging him to continue.

Mickey chewed at his lip nervously before speaking. “I, uh, had an important conversation with Severide today. That fire that burned down Ian’s apartment building?” Mandy nodded once more. “Turns out it was arson. The fire department is investigating further but god only knows if they’ll figure out who started it. I know how these things work.” Mickey shook his head and finally met his sister’s gaze.

“This forreal Mick?” she asked, a look of worry present on her face.

“Yes,” Mickey replied seriously. “I wouldn’t joke about this. I wouldn’t joke about Ian.”

Mandy brought her brother in a close one armed hug, much like Ian had done to her earlier. As strong as her brother was, he had a certain weakness when it came to Ian. She’d do anything to reassure her sibling. Over the years they had come to rely heavily on one another.

“I need a favor. It’s for me and Ian,” she whispered near Mickey’s ear.

“Anything,” he replied honestly.

“Okay,” she said. “You know you’re going to have to talk to him sooner or later right? I only told him so much.”

He nodded against his sister’s hold. “Yeah. Yeah, I know,” he answered, though it was more to himself than to his sister.

“I need you to find us a place to live, and you know the perfect person with the perfect apartment. I want to move in with Ian,” she told him, leaning her head back to read her brother’s expression.

Mickey didn’t meet her gaze. Instead he looked at the sky in the distance over the widespread of homes surrounding them. “Okay,” was all he said instead.

 

* * *

 

Mickey found himself knocking heavily outside a familiar apartment door. A few moments later, the door swung open revealing a very surprised man. Jones stood at his door wearing nothing but loose sweatpants, his perfectly toned abdominal muscles exposed. His surprised expression was quickly replaced by a huge grin.

“Hey,” he said as he stepped out of the way and motioned for Mickey to come in.

Mickey lifted his chin in acknowledgment and made his way into the apartment and sat down on the leather sofa in the living room. He had spent a lot of time in that apartment over the past few summers. Jones followed suit and sat next to him.

“What’s the matter Mickey?” he asked, taking note of the other man’s serious expression. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Mickey gave him a smile that didn’t reach his eyes which caused the other man to frown.

“I need a favor,” he replied, running his hands through his hair. Mickey hated relying on others but he needed to do this, even if it meant letting go of his pride.

“Okay…” Jones began, “shoot.”

Mickey sighed. “I need you to rent your apartment out to Mandy. I know you rent it out through the year except the summer months since you come back but you’re graduating next week and you’re leaving to do your residency shit full time right?” he waited for Jones to reply.

The other man nodded in confirmation.

“They need a place to move into ASAP. Can it be ready by Monday? Is that gonna be a problem?” Mickey asked, feeling nervous and anxious.

Jones hesitated, thinking things over in his head before replying. “I guess not, I wasn’t planning on coming back here after graduation anyways. I’m gonna head to Europe before my residency starts, wherever that is.”

The blonde-haired man paused for a moment. “Who’s ‘they’? I thought you said it was Mandy.”

Mickey ran his thumb over the bottom of his lip before answering. “Uh, Mandy and Ian. The redhead that was with Shay at the barbecue today. Him and my sister are childhood BFFs and shit and he doesn’t have a place to live and he’s starting classes down at UMass on Monday. I don’t want him stressing about having to find a place to live on top of all the other fucking things he’s got going on.” He replied in a faint voice, not meeting the other man in the eyes.

 _Ah, there it is_ , Jones thought to himself.

“Okay then, I’ll have a lease drawn up for them next week but they can move in on Monday,” he said with finality.

Mickey breathed out a sigh of relief and gave Jones a brief genuine smile. “Thanks man, I owe you one.”

The other man nodded and smiled back.

“So, you sticking around for a little longer?” he said, putting a finger through Mickey’s belt loop and tugging lightly. He stared at Mickey with darkened eyes.

Mickey shook his head and stood up abruptly. “Nah man, I gotta head home. My mind is everywhere tonight.” _Ian_. _Arson._ _Protecting_ _Ian._

Jones sighed and stood up to walk the other man out, his suspicions confirmed. Mickey had never really turned him down before.

He opened the door but as Mickey made his way past him he stopped him suddenly by placing his hand firmly on the other man’s chest.

Mickey stared up at Jones with a confused expression on his face.

“This Ian guy, he the one you’ve been all messed up over this whole time?” he asked, his tone serious as he looked down fiercely at Mickey.

Mickey stared at Jones for a moment before simply removing the man’s hand from his chest. “I’ll see you next week Jones,” he mumbled as he walked out the door and towards the elevator to leave the building. Not once looking back.

  

* * *

 

It was Tuesday evening. The men and women of Firehouse 51 were only an hour shy of being released from their shift. Some of them were in the beds located deeper into the firehouse, the lieutenants, Severide and Casey, were in their private headquarters chatting away, and everyone else was in the kitchen either watching TV, or playing cards. Mickey, Shay, Mills, and Dawson were engaged in an intense game of cards when a very pissed off Gallagher came fuming in.

“We need to talk Mickey,” Lip said, standing next to the table where Mickey was sitting.

Mickey glanced up once and scoffed. “You’re on the wrong side of the Charles River. The fuck do you want?” he asked dismissively, returning his attention back to his card game.

“You need to stay away from my brother. I mean it. He’s come too far to get sucked back into whatever it is he had with you.” Lip exclaimed, his tone harsh and cold.

Mickey laughed dryly at the other man’s remark. “Last time I checked, your brother is a grown ass man. He can do whatever he fucking pleases. As for me, I don’t take orders from you… ever. Now fuck off,” he replied, still not glancing in Lip’s direction.

If there was one thing Lip Gallagher was notorious for, it was his ability to get under anyone’s skin with his witty remarks. He always knew how to push the right buttons.

Lip looked around taking in the scene. He knew he needed to get Mickey to mad enough to leave Ian alone. He needed to watch over his little brother.

“You know, I never thought I’d see the day that Mickey Milkovich would actually become a contributing member of society.”

“Maybe the stick up your ass has started to affect your vision. Take a fucking picture if you want,” Mickey replied, low enough to contain his anger. Of course after all he’d achieved, Lip Gallagher would still find a way to make him feel like scum on the bottom of a shoe.

Lip let out a humorless laugh. “Maybe I will. So, what’s it like? Southside thug turned public servant,” a low whistle escaped his lips.

“What’s it like slowly following into Frank’s footsteps as an alcoholic? Or how about trashing a professor’s car and getting kicked out of school? I mean, lucky for you right? That they wiped your record clean so at least you get to go on pretending it didn’t happen.” Mickey smiled, now looking directly at Lip. “Oh yeah, I know more about you than you think _Phillip_. The South Side still talks and there’s _a lot_ to say about you.”

“At least I’m not a coward who ran out of Chicago with his tail tucked between his legs scared of daddy dearest,” Lip challenged, knowing Mickey would not be able to contain himself after that.

Mickey leaped out of his chair without warning and charged at Lip who stood there with a smug expression. His hands balled up into tight fists. He was so angry he could feel his blood boiling inside his body. Mills and Shay quickly restrained him before he could place a hand on the other man.

“The hell’s going on here?” Severide said, making his way into the kitchen. The argument had gotten increasingly louder causing him to leave his office.

“What’s the matter Mickey? Need your boys to stand up for you now? Do they even know who you _really_ are?” Lip started again, smirk fully in place.

“Fuck you” Mickey spat, still struggling against the tight grip his coworkers had him on. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around the cocky bastard’s neck.

“Nothing man,” Lip started, turning his attention to Severide, “just thought you should know who’s really working for you is all.” He replied, putting his hands up in mock surrender.

“You think you can come into our house and tell us who one of _our_ men is?” Severide exclaimed, staring at Lip incredulously.

Lip turned his attention back onto Mickey as he spoke. “Trust me, you have no idea what he’s done in the past,” he said, looking at Mickey with a look of disgust.

Severide smiled before replying. “Yeah I do. We don’t hide our skeletons in the closet here. Look around,” he told Lip, as he himself did the same. “Every single person in this room would and has put their lives on the line for him and none of us here are connected by blood,” Severide moved closer to Lip, his face only a few inches from his. “I wonder how many people you can say would do that for you that weren’t obligated because they’re your family by blood.”

When Lip stayed quiet Severide took it as an opportunity to continue. “I don’t know who you are or what you _think_ your business is here. But this is our home, our city, and our family. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.” He stepped back from the intruder and pointed towards the door. “Now get the hell out.”

Lip scoffed and turned his attention to Mickey once more. “You know what you are. You may have a different last name now but you’re still a Milkovich, and that means you’re toxic,” he turned around abruptly and stormed out the door to exit the firehouse.

When the door closed behind him, he almost ran face first into someone who was clearly standing outside the door eavesdropping. _Mandy_. _Shit_.

Mandy stood there, anger evident in her face but her eyes told a different story. They showed she had heard what he had said and was hurting. She was holding a box filled with Chinese takeout which she promptly placed on the floor.

In one swift motion, she struck Lip across the face with the back of her hand, “that’s for Mickey,” she explained as she continued to reach for him, grabbing him by the back of the neck and landing a knee to his groin. “and that’s for me” she stated as Lip groaned in agonizing pain.

She straightened out her light blue scrubs before reaching down to pick up the box of food she had placed on the floor. She walked past Lip and stopped before she reached the door. She looked up, trying to blink back threatening tears that had made their way to the corner of her eyes but she refused for the other man to see her cry.

“I can see you’re still a fucking asshole,” she said harshly, her back turned to him. “You’d think you’d be a little more grateful to Mickey seeing as he’s the one who put his job and his life on the line to get Ian out of that fire,” she told him. She then yanked open the door to the firehouse kitchen and retreated inside to join her brother.

 

* * *

 

Mandy stood impatiently in front of her apartment door while rummaging furiously through her purse in search of her key. After enough curse words leaving her mouth, the door flung open.

“Hey,” Ian said, standing to the side to let her in. “You know you should really organize that thing,” he suggested, pointing to her bag as she threw herself onto the couch.

Mandy sighed and began stripping off her scrubs and throwing them in the floor by the couch. “Eh,” she shrugged, “It’ll just end up like that again so what’s the point?” she replied tiredly.

Ian rolled his eyes and disappeared into her room before appearing a moment later and tossed the blonde girl her pajamas.

Mandy and Ian had been moved in for 5 days now. It was Saturday and Ian had spent the entire day organizing his room, he had never had one of his own before. He couldn’t help but be grateful of how things had worked out. It made it a whole lot easier for him to come home to a friendly and familiar face every day. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d be sharing an apartment with Mandy. Ian also felt lucky to have found a place near the T which made UMass Boston just a short train ride from their place. The rent was extremely affordable, way cheaper than what he was paying for the shitty studio apartment that burned down.

“How was work?” Ian asked, taking a seat on the couch near her. Mandy immediately crawled up next to him and he began to run his hand through her hair in the way he knew she loved.

She shrugged and closed her eyes. “The usual. I don’t normally like working the Saturday shift, too much dumb shit happens on the weekend. I didn’t have much of a choice though since I took last week off to go to Atlanta.”

“Right,” Ian responded, his mind drifting off to a more important topic.

Mandy sighed in annoyance at her best friend. “Out with it Ian, I know there’s something on your mind,” she said, her eyes still closed.

Ian hesitated before diving in. He was unsure of what Mandy’s response would be. “How’s Mickey doing?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “I keep waiting for him to come around and he hasn’t. I still have yet to actually talk to him and it’s honestly driving me insane Mandy.” He blurted out.

Mandy slowly opened her eyes and lifted her body from Ian’s lap.

“Mickey is… well he’s Mickey. This isn’t easy for him either, he’s always been too proud to iniate things. You know this,” she accused.

She hesitated for a moment before continuing. “There was also an incident at the firehouse the other day,” she began, staring intently at Ian.

“What happened?” Ian demanded.

Mandy bit at her bottom lip, debating on how to approach the subject.

“Your dick of a brother showed up to the firehouse, and well, let’s just say him and Mickey shared some unkind comments. Long story short, Lip told Mickey to stay away from you.”

Ian stared at her with a horrified expression on his face, “he did what?!” he exclaimed.

“Jesus Christ,” Ian continued, “I need to talk to Mickey… now.” He said as he gathered his thoughts and stood up at once.

Mandy grinned as she saw him head towards the door. She then remembered an important piece of information that Ian was unaware of which caused her grin to turn into a deep frown. 

“Ian, wait!” she shouted, getting to her feet suddenly.

But it was too late. The redhead was already out the door with only one destination in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extremely humbled by all the support the story has received so far. I read every comment and appreciate every kudos. If you ever want to pick my brain about anything feel free to do so. The next chapter is one of my favorites, hoping to post within the next week or so. 
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr: cagedbird30


	4. Don't Touch Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian decides to drink on his meds and finds himself in a troublesome situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be changing the story name to: Our Life Under Flames. Just a heads up, I found the title to be more fitting :) I also added some songs that really set the mood for certain parts of the chapter, feel free to listen before, during, or after reading... or not at all, haha.

Ian ran breathlessly out of the train car and up the stairs to exit the subway and get onto the main street towards Mickey’s place. During the train ride over, he made sure to call his brother Lip and give him a piece of his mind.

He used long strides as he neared the townhome where Mickey and Shay lived. He raced up the small set of stairs and knocked forcefully on the door. He could see lights on from the windows and Bowser barking furiously. He used the time it took for someone to open the door to catch his breath quickly. Ian didn’t necessarily have a plan, he just wanted to see Mickey and tell him everything he had wanted to tell him since they saw one another at the park.

_I love you._

_This is fucking fate, Mick._

_I’m sorry I left._

After a few moments of rapid thoughts creeping their way in and out of his mind, Ian saw the door open slowly.

“Oh, hey Ian. What’s up?” Shay greeted him with a wide, warm smile. Her hair was picked up in a loose ponytail and was still wearing her paramedic uniform, she hadn’t been home very long from her shift.

“Hey Shay. Is Mickey here? I really need to talk to him,” he replied, feeling desperate.

Shay’s smiled slowly began to drop and was replaced with a confused expression. “Mickey isn’t here... Didn’t Mandy tell you?” she asked nervously.

Ian shook his head slowly, feeling disappointment start to creep up on him.

Shay frowned and contemplated how much to tell him. She knew Ian would not take her response lightly.

“Uh, he drove down with Severide to New York City for Jones’s graduation. I’m not sure when he’ll be back. They left on Thursday night,” she explained to her redheaded friend. She crossed her arms and shifted uncomfortably from side to side, unsure of what to do.

Ian’s face and spirits fell. _Of course he’s with that other guy. That guy he allows to touch him in public. You know what? Fuck you Mickey,_ he thought to himself _._

“I understand,” Ian replied, turning his back from Shay and heading back onto the main street.

“Ian, wait.” She called out to him, making the young man come to a stop in his tracks. “You wanna come in?” Shay continued. Though she hadn't known him long, she could tell Ian was upset by her news.

Ian turned slightly towards her. “No thanks… I’ll see you around Shay,” he told her. He flashed her a small smile before disappearing into the darkness of the night.

 

* * *

 

Playlist: Let It Go – James Bay

Ian walked endlessly with no destination in mind. What was on his mind was Mickey. He knew he shouldn’t be so upset. It had been 5 years since they were together, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt seeing his new life.

Tears that were threatening to spill blurred his vision, making him come to a stop. He quickly cleaned his eyes, though he was sure they were still puffy.

“Fuck!” he yelled out loud, feeling frustrated.

Across the street, he could make out the sign for a bar. _Molly’s_. Though he knew he shouldn’t be drinking on his meds, Ian nonetheless strolled inside the bar.

Molly’s was a lot different than The Alibi, though it had the same welcoming feeling to it.

Ian made his way to find a seat at the bar. It was a Saturday night so they place was overflowing with people. There was one empty seat right in the middle.

“Hey man. What can I get ya?” An older man – the bartender, asked Ian.

Ian scratched at the back of his head. He hadn’t had a drink in almost two years.

“Jack and Coke please,” he answered, reaching out to retrieve his credit card.

“Haven’t seen you here before,” the older man noted as he prepared Ian’s drink.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m sorta new in town. Just moved here from Chicago,” Ian answered as he took a moment to look around the place. It was in pristine condition. It seemed to be a sports bar as there was memorabilia from all the local sports team.

“That’s pretty neat. Well welcome to Molly’s. I’m Hermann by the way, let me know if you need anything,” he placed Ian’s drink in front of him and leaned in to say something more discreetly to the redhead. “I made it a double, on the house. You look like you need it kid,” he whispered to Ian. He gave him a friendly wink before leaving Ian to tend to other customers.

Ian took a small sip of his drink, allowing himself to relax a bit. He noticed the man next to him staring.

“Chicago, huh?” the man asked. He was in his mid-30s or so and was clearly making bedroom eyes at Ian.

“As southside as it gets,” Ian responded, shifting his body towards the seemingly attractive man.

 

* * *

 

As the night continued, Ian droned on and on about everything he was keeping bottled up inside. He had finished his one drink and felt more drunk than he had ever felt in his entire life. His words coming out slurred and his body swaying slightly from side to side.

“I mean, why not just tell me? I had to find out from fucking everyone BUT him. That bastard,” Ian muttered to man, who had introduced himself as Dan.

Dan only nodded encouragingly, urging Ian to continue as he practically undressed him with his eyes.

“Wanna get out of here?” Dan asked, his voice aiming to be as seductive as possible.

“I’m not sure that I cannn, that I can get up,” Ian mumbled, beginning to feel tired.

The other man quickly placed some bills on the counter and started to walk Ian towards the alley exit. “Oh don’t worry, I’m going to take _really_ good care of you.”

Ian could barely stand upright, leaning all of his body weight on the other man. “I don’t feel very good. I just want to go home,” Ian murmured, his eyes barely open.

“We’re going back to my place though, I’ll make you feel better baby,” the man reassured Ian, both men now making their way across the poorly lit alley.

“Everything alright over there?” A voice coming from the front of the alley asked. Dan’s head immediately snapped up to look at the man. The unknown man was leaning against the alley but a shadow was cast over his face. He was dressed in suit slacks and a very nice dress shirt from what Dan could make out.

“Yeah man, we’re fine. Mind your own business,” Dan answered in annoyance. He waved a hand dismissively at the stranger. He struggled to keep the much taller redhead from falling.

The stranger let out a low, humorless chuckle in response which only fueled Dan’s anger. He began to slap at Ian’s cheek as he was unbearably heavy. “Come on man, fucking walk!” he yelled angrily.

Before he could prevent it, Dan was thrown against the alley wall, his face slammed right up against the dirty bricks. “Don’t fucking touch him,” a voice snarled from behind him. The stranger flipped Dan around so that they faced one another.

Ian opened his eyes momentarily from his drunken haze. _Mickey_ , he thought to himself before passing out cold as the two men went head to head.

Dan’s brown eyes met icy blue ones that stared back at him in a cold, hard expression. Mickey brought the man forward by grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but you are _not_ taking him home tonight you piece of shit perv. You better count your blessings that I’m letting you live,” he said harshly. He landed a blow to the man’s groin making him fall to his knees and groan in immense pain.

“Now get the fuck out of here!” he barked, kicking Dan in the ass to get him to move. The older man quickly scrambled to his feet and ran towards the street.

Mickey turned back around to face Ian, finding the other man sprawled out unconscious on the floor. “Jesus Christ, Ian,” he whispered softly. Mickey leaned down and ran his fingers through Ian’s soft red hair for a moment before picking him up and gently placing him over his own shoulder.

“You okay?” Severide asked, now leaning against the door frame that connected the alley to the inside of the bar. He had witnessed the ending of the spectacle that had just taken place.

Mickey nodded softly. “Yeah Sev, I got this. I’ll see you on Monday,” he reassured the other man, making his way to his car to finally head home.

 

* * *

 

Playlist: A Drop in The Ocean – Ron Pope

It was well after midnight when Shay was woken up by loud shuffling noises that were coming from downstairs. Bowser immediately sprinted down the stairs. She waited for a moment and when she didn’t hear the dog barking she knew exactly who was home. _Mickey_.

“What’s going on?” She asked, rubbing her tired eyes, a low yawn escaping her lips. She stood in the hallway as Mickey walked up with Ian over his shoulder.

Mickey said nothing, instead he signaled for her to follow him into his room. He gently placed Ian on the bed and began to remove the younger man’s shoes. Without much struggle, Ian was soon sleeping soundly in Mickey’s bed, a soft comforter tucking him in safely.

After making Ian comfortable on the bed, Mickey plopped down tiredly on his floor, his head placed between his knees with his hands intertwined behind his head. He had no idea how to handle the situation. He cared for Ian so much, but he had never been good with communicating his feelings. Even in his most inebriated state, Ian was able to speak his mind more clearly than Mickey had ever been able to.

Ian’s soft snores filled the room. He unconsciously babbled in his sleep, causing Mickey’s head to snap up.

“I’ve missed you so fucking much Mick,” he spoke, barely audible between snores. “But you don’t love me anymore, you moved on without me,” Ian said, his snores growing slightly louder.

Mickey felt his eyes begin to water so he tried his best to blink back the tears. Shay and Bowser sat down next to him, making Mickey a sandwich between them.

Bowser let out a small whimper and placed his head by Mickey’s abdominal area. Shay, knowing now wasn’t the time to ask questions as to what happened, simply placed her head on Mickey’s shoulder and allowed her presence to comfort him.

All three of them remained pressed up against one another for the rest of the night, Ian’s light snores the only sound that filled the room.

 

* * *

 

Ian woke the next morning with a massive headache. He blinked several times before attempting to sit up. He let out a loud groan as small rays of light made their way into the room.

It didn’t take him long to realize he was not in his room, or a room he recognized for that matter. He tried to recall the events from the night before but he only remembered walking into the bar.

He yanked the soft comforter off his body and noticed he was in his clothes from the night before. _Well at least that’s a good sign_.

Distant voices were coming from downstairs so Ian made his way out of the room. As soon as he reached the hallway he realized where he was. _Shit, I’m in Mickey and Shay’s place_.

Slowly and carefully, he made his way down the stairs towards the noise. The stairs creaked as he stepped down them, causing Mickey and Shay’s conversation to come to a stop, both of them looking up from the living room towards Ian’s direction.

Mickey’s eyes focused only on Ian. Shay quickly jumped from out of her seat and was at Ian’s side in an instant.

“Hey kiddo. Hope you’re feeling better this morning,” she told him, grabbing him by the shoulders to make sure he was fine. Ian only nodded softly in response.

“Okay well I’m gonna head out, I have to go meet Dawson. We go to yoga every Sunday,” she explained with an apologetic smile. She leaned in to give him a brief hug. “Go easy on him, alright?” she whispered lowly in his ear, making sure Mickey wouldn’t hear her. Shay released him and gave Ian a quick kiss on the forehead before heading towards the door.

“Don’t forget what we talked about Mickey!” she yelled out before closing the door behind her.

Ian hesitated by the bottom of the stairs, unsure of what to do next. Mickey cocked his head to the side and motioned for Ian to take a seat across from him in the living room. “Sit down, we gotta talk.”

The redhead nodded and made himself as comfortable as possible on the sofa. He really did feel like shit, his head was throbbing and the natural sunlight coming in wasn’t helping.

Mickey stared at Ian for a short moment, his expression softening up. “How are you feeling?” he asked softly. His heart was beating so fast inside his chest, the memory of Ian’s words from the night before replaying in his mind.

‘I’m fine. Look, you don’t have to take care of me. I can watch out for myself just fine,” Ian responded, annoyance seeping through his tone.

“Yeah okay tough guy,” Mickey retorted, rolling his eyes dramatically.

Ian’s expression immediately hardened, becoming defensive in an instant. “The fuck’s that supposed to mean? How’d I even get here in the first place?”

“I was there Ian, at Molly’s. Severide and I had just gotten back into the city and we needed to meet up with Hermann. He’s a retired firefighter, him and Dawson own the place,” he explained patiently.

“Whatever man. I was fine, really,” Ian refuted, sounding stubborn.

Mickey scoffed at the other man’s argument. “Pfft. You could barely fucking walk, Ian. I wasn’t going to let that perv take advantage of you.”

Ian looked away from Mickey and crossed his arms. “Wow, what a gentleman. That Michael guy, or whatever his name is, sure has a keeper with you.” He responded bitterly.

“The fuck are you talking about Gallagher?” Mickey sighed and ran his fingers furiously through his hair. He was beginning to lose his cool.

In an effort to contain his jealousy, Ian attempted to turn things back on Mickey. “Why the fuck do you care Mick? You could have just dumped me back at my place, but instead you brought me back here. Why?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“Because…”

“Because what?” Ian pressed.

“Because you’re important to me you piece of shit,” Mickey blurted out angrily, staring intently at the redhead.

Ian was taken aback by Mickey’s genuine response, his mouth hung open in shock. This was one of those rare moments where Mickey allowed himself to be exposed.

Beginning to feel uncomfortable, Mickey released a deep sigh and stood up. “Are you done acting like a fucking chick?”

Ian rolled his eyes playfully and nodded.

“Alright then, follow me. I’m gonna fucking cook us some breakfast. All this chit chat is making me hungry.” Mickey made his way to the kitchen with Ian following closely behind.

Mickey took out all the ingredients necessary to cook his signature omelet. It didn’t hurt that he knew it would blow Ian’s mind.

Ian sat on the countertop and watched Mickey move naturally in the kitchen, it was a hell of a sight. Now that he got a chance to really get a good look at him, Ian noticed Mickey looked amazing. He wore low hanging sweatpants and a black, tight fitting wife-beater that showed off his muscles generously.

“Since when do you cook?” Ian asked, truly curious. He had never seen Mickey step foot in a kitchen before. The time he baked them pizza bagels didn't count, though it had meant the world to Ian at that moment.

Mickey chuckled lowly and shot Ian a quick smile, the kind that made Ian’s heart tighten. “One of my duties when I was a candidate at the firehouse was to cook lunch… every day. My uncle Ronnie taught me beforehand so the guys at the station wouldn’t give me too much crap,” he joked. “I’m actually pretty good, or at least that’s what Shay tells me. Then again, her cooking is fucking awful so anything is a step up from her," he responded, shrugging his shoulders innocently.

A comfortable silence fell between the two as Mickey continued cooking. It didn’t take him long, and before Ian knew it, they were sitting at the table eating across from one another.

Mickey watched Ian deliberately to gauge the redhead's reaction. Ian took a large bite of the omelet and was in immediate heaven. “ _oh my god_. This is fucking phenomenal Mick,” Ian praised, moaning in delight as he savored his food.

“Eat up Gallagher, I made your omelet extra big,” he teased. Mickey couldn’t help but mentally pat himself on the back. He loved seeing Ian with a smile on his face, it made him mirror the younger man’s action.

“Alright, so I’m not trying to dampen the mood here, but I gotta ask,” Ian began, continuing to cut into his omelet as he spoke. “What’s with the last name? Monroe?”

Mickey swallowed the piece of food he was chewing before responding. “It was Mandy’s idea. I’m sure she told you about our uncle already. The Milkovich last name has done fuck all for us so we figured we’d at least honor our other side of the family,” he stated simply.

"Fair enough," Ian responded, "and, uh, that guy... Jones? What's the deal?" he asked, staring intently at his food and avoiding Mickey's glare.

"There is no deal. Nothing is going on with us, not anymore anyways. He's still a good friend and I drove with Severide to see him graduate from Medical School. That's it,"  Mickey replied. He hoped Ian would get the hint and drop the conversation.

Ian nodded, seeming satisfied with the other man’s response. They again fell back into a comfortable silence which Ian was grateful for, as he was occupied with the delicious breakfast in front of him.

After they both finished eating, Mickey stepped out for a moment and brought Ian a ziplock bag that contained his meds.

“Here,” he said gently, placing the bag in front of Ian. “Shay went back to your place early this morning and brought these back for you. You take ‘em around this time right?” Mickey asked.

Ian’s heart began to race and his palms were suddenly very sweaty. “Mick…”

Mickey held a hand up to interrupt Ian. “Don’t worry. We don’t have to talk about it right this minute. We’ve got all the time in the world Gallagher, I’m not going anywhere,” he said, reassuring the other man.

“Now take your pills bitch, we got places to be.”

Ian lifted a curious eyebrow, “where are we going?” he asked. He reached for his meds and swallowed them down effortlessly.

“Well first, you’re going home to shower and get a change of clothes. You smell like a fucking liquor store man,” Mickey explained, crinkling his nose in mock disgust. “Then I’m going to give you a real tour of the city of Boston, I doubt you’ve had one. It ain’t Chicago but she sure has a lot to offer. Now let’s get movin’ man.”

Ian quickly gathered his things and followed Mickey out the door. They walked over to Mickey’s silver Jeep SUV and Ian made himself comfortable in the passenger seat.  Mickey slipped on his shades and drove out towards the main road. There wasn’t a place they would rather be than with each other in that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday everyone! I am finally back home after traveling for the past 8 weeks so updates should be coming in a lot more quickly. I've got plans for at least 20 chapters... maybe more, who knows. As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated. I love reading what you guys think of each chapter, thank you for all the support.


	5. The Life I Always Wanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey gives Ian a proper Boston welcome, visits an old friend, and receives a surprise visit.  
> Ian gets a taste of Mickey in his element.

After dropping Ian off, Mickey returned to his apartment to get a change of clothes as well. He settled for a light blue V-neck shirt that hugged his biceps generously and dark grey cargo shorts. Mickey spent a few extra minutes styling his hair, but he swore to himself it wasn’t to impress Ian, because he didn’t care about gay shit like that.

A half hour later he was knocking on the apartment door that Ian shared with Mandy.

“You ready?” Mickey asked when Ian opened the door. He looked up at the other man through his lashes.

Ian nodded. “I just need to grab my wallet really quick, give me a sec,” he responded, running back into the apartment. Mickey awkwardly waited by the door, not feeling comfortable enough to invite himself in.

After a moment, Ian came back out sporting his aviator ray ban sunglasses and a bright smile. Mickey’s mouth began to water a little just by looking at Ian. The guy looked like a fucking movie star. Ian wore a white blue button down with khakis and a pair of navy Sperry’s. _Fucking hell, Gallagher_ , Mickey thought to himself.

Mickey led the way into the city and showed Ian around as many places as he could think of. They walked around Boston Common, visited Fenway Park, took touristy pictures with the major landmarks and even visited the Paul Revere House, which was Ian’s favorite part. If there was one thing Mickey liked to do, though he would never blatantly admit it, it’s seeing Ian Gallagher sporting his classic puppy smile.

The last part of Mickey’s tour included a walk around the Boston Harbor. Ian took a million panorama pictures which Mickey didn’t quite understand. After hearing Ian’s stomach grumble, Mickey took the hint that it was time to grab some much-needed food, he too was hungry.

One didn’t simply come to Boston and not have some wild caught species, so Mickey took Ian to the Quincy Market building since they were in the area and got him a clam chowder bread bowl. Mickey himself got the biggest pastrami sandwich Ian had ever seen and they sat down in the outdoor seating area. It was a beautiful summer day and Ian couldn’t think of a time where he had felt more relaxed. He truly felt free.

“Mmmm,” Ian moaned in delight every so often while eating his chowder. “Jesus Mick, this is fucking incredible. I can’t believe I’ve never had this before.”

Mickey shot Ian a wicked grin. “Kinda makes you feel like you’ve been living under a rock, doesn’t it? At least that’s how I fucking felt when my uncle brought Mandy and I here.”

They mostly ate in silence, until Ian ended up finishing his food in world record time and stared intently at Mickey. As usual, the redhead could not stay still very long if he was unoccupied. To entertain Ian while Mickey finished his food he began to ask him questions. Mickey himself didn’t love to talk up a storm but he knew Ian was the opposite.

“So, um, what are you studying here or whatever?” Mickey asked between bites of his sandwich.

Ian smiled and dove right into his usual chatty self. “Oh! I’m studying Psychology. Can’t believe I never brought that up. After I found out about my diagnosis, I was really curious to learn more but not from my doctors. I really wanted to learn about it from a more scientific perspective, you know? From a professor that didn’t really know me or my history. All it took was one class and I was hooked. I really love it, Mick. It’s given me a new approach in life and eventually I want to work as a psychologist or something, I haven’t figure that part out yet.”

Mickey nodded in response, taking in all that Ian had said. “That’s awesome man, that you found your niche.” Ian gave him a warm smile, he was overjoyed to receive some support. God knows the Gallaghers weren’t too happy at first. Especially when Ian had decided to leave, they had fought him every step of the way.

“How’d you end up in Boston?” Mickey asked, snapping Ian out of his train of thoughts.

Ian shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Lip was attending MIT when I was in junior college and he would always send me the best pictures and videos. When I graduated from junior college, I told Lip I wanted to get out of Chicago so he looked around to see where I could get in and I ended up applying to UMass Boston, and here I am,” he hesitated a little before continuing.

“I know my brother can be an asshole, but he’s always looked out for me. I wouldn’t have been able to leave Chicago without him.” Ian explained.

It was the honest truth. Lip had done the college research for him, helped him find that shitty apartment that had burned down, and even given him money to get on his feet. While his other siblings were too busy keeping him under their watch like he was made of glass, Lip had provided the support he truly and desperately needed.

Sensing Mickey’s change in mood after bringing up Lip, Ian decided to change the subject all together.

“You look good Mick. And I don’t just mean physically, I mean mentally and emotionally as well. I always wondered where you had gone off to,” Ian said, feeling slightly sad though not showing a hint of it on the surface.

“When I got back to Chicago, all I was told was that you and Mandy had skipped town, but no one had heard a thing from either of you. You’re a fucking firefighter now for god’s sake. It’s incredible,” Ian praised.

Mickey took a deep breath. He was never good at accepting praise, or giving praise for that matter. Ian always had a natural way of opening up the more sensitive side of himself.

“Honestly, I never knew how toxic the southside was until I got here. I didn’t think any of this was possible. But I’m happy Ian. I’ve got a career that I actually look forward to, and my friends? Well they’re more like family. It’s crazy to fucking think that this was all possible because of Mandy’s nosey ass calling our uncle,” he joked.

Ian hesitated for a moment, tapping the tip of his fingers on the table. 

“You’ve got work, family, and friends… what about love Mickey? It seems like that’s all you’re really missing,” Ian said, speaking boldly. His green eyes stared intently at Mickey’s icy blue ones.

Mickey chuckled humorlessly before responding. “Fuck that man, love never did me any good. I’m perfectly fine without it. Not all of us can just wear our hearts on our sleeves Gallagher.” Mickey responded, suddenly feeling defensive. His whole body stiffened instinctively.

Ian physically winced from Mickey’s words but easily recovered and made his facial expression as neutral as possible.

Mickey sighed and ran his hand over his face. “Fuck. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like –“

“Uncle Mickey?!” A small blonde girl asked loudly, cutting Mickey off mid-sentence. Both Mickey and Ian’s mouth hung completely open for two very different reasons.

The small girl ran straight into Mickey’s arm and a young boy that looked to be about 7 years old joined her. Mickey was caught completely off guard but he quickly recovered himself and held both kids in a tight hug. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. He held them for a few moments before letting them go.

“Jess, Sammy, what are you two doing here? Where’s your mom?” he asked, he scanned the area in search of their mother.

“She’s inside getting our food,” Jess, the six-year old girl responded. “I noticed you and Sammy came with me to say hi. We really miss you uncle Mickey… you and all the guys. And auntie Shay,” she pouted sadly.

Mickey smiled kindly. “We miss both of you too. I thought your mom moved to Amherst.”

Jess nodded her head eagerly. “Yup! we’re living in our grammy’s house still. But today is daddy’s birthday so we came to visit him,” she announced proudly.

Mickey felt his heart sink. He forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat.

Suddenly, a woman with short, light brown hair was at their side. Ian was still staring in shock at the interaction happening before him. The Mickey Milkovich he knew, hated children.

“Kids, let’s go,” the woman announced, grabbing both of them tightly by the wrists.

“Hi Heather.” Mickey said, standing up and offering him his hand.

She gave him a tight, forced smile and walked away quickly. The two kids looked back at Mickey and waved sadly.

“The fuck was that, Mickey?” Ian asked, eyes wide in slight shock. “Why was she such a bitch to you? And did they just call you _uncle_ Mickey?”

Mickey sighed heavily and rubbed at his eyes. “Yeah. Their dad and I worked in the same company when I was a candidate. They call all of us at 51 uncle,” he explained, not meeting the other man’s gaze.

“Oh. That still doesn’t explain why that woman was so cold to you. Her kids seem to clearly love you.”

Mickey met Ian’s gaze momentarily before dropping it again. “She blames us for her husband’s death, Ian. Andy died on duty.” He explained.

Ian opened his mouth as if to talk but decided to against saying anything else. It was clearly a sensitive subject for Mickey. “I’m sorry. This just really caught me off guard. I was expecting to see them less than I expected to see you ever again… do you mind if we call it a day?” Mickey pleaded gently.

Ian nodded and they both got up and began to walk towards the nearest train station.

“You sure you’re okay to get home? Don’t want your ginger ass getting lost or something,” Mickey explained, scratching at his head lightly to ease any awkward tension.

Ian smiled softly at him, the kind of smile that made Mickey’s knees slightly weak. “I’ve been riding the subway since I was a kid Mick, I’ll be fine.”

“This was nice by the way, thank you,” he added genuinely. Ian held Mickey's gaze for a moment before turning away from him.

“Hey, Ian?” Mickey said, trying to regain the other man’s attention. Ian stopped and turned back to face Mickey.

“I know you think I’ve got everything made now. But looks can be deceiving man. I’m happy, don’t get me wrong,” he added quickly. “But life is still just as hard. I do want to tell you one thing though, and that is that everything I have, is yours too, Ian.”

Mickey took a deep breath before continuing. His way with words was never his strong suit, but he was going to try like hell. Ian deserved it. “I failed you once, but I don’t want to do that again. Stop by the place, or the firehouse, or call, whenever man. I mean it. Hell, you’ve already met the guys. We’re all here for you… I’m here for you, okay?”

Mickey chewed on the inside of his bottom lip nervously as he searched Ian’s eyes for a response.

“I appreciate that Mick, I do.” Ian replied kindly. He began to walk backwards to continue staring at Mickey. After a moment, he put on his shades and threw one last smile Mickey’s way before turning back around and heading down the stairs of the train station.

 

* * *

 

It really was the perfect summer day in Boston, they had been getting quite a few of those lately. Clear skies, and a beautiful breeze. Mickey couldn’t help but notice it as he walked over to a very familiar site which brought him a bit of sorrow.

“You once told me that you’d pay all the money in the world to see me buy someone flowers. Well congrats motherfucker, because I did it- so where’s my god damn money Darden?” Mickey asked out loud, a light chuckle giving way.

He placed the small bouquet of sunflowers near the others that sat next to the tombstone. He took a seat on the base. Mickey light traced the letters on marble stone using the tip of his fingers.

_Andrew Joseph Darden_

_Beloved father, husband, and firefighter_.

Mickey reached into his back jean pocket and pulled out the small flask of whiskey he had brought. He sparingly poured some on the ground, lifted the flask over his head pointing towards the sky, and then brought it to his lips to take a swig.

“I fucking miss you Andy,” he started. “I’m sorry I don’t come visit very much; I promise I’ll try to more often.

I, uh, saw the kids today. Man, they’re so fuckin’ big. Jess is as beautiful as ever, and Sammy looks more and more like you every day. It’s kinda weird if you ask me- though I know you wouldn’t,” he humored.

He took a few more swigs of whiskey. “Do you remember one of the last few conversations we had? We had just gotten back from that drunk driving call, where the reckless kid had killed the people in the other car – a mom and her daughter. I was real messed up over it and I asked you how you dealt with that part of the job. The ugly part that doesn’t feel very heroic.

You sat up from the bed next to mine and told me: ‘This life that we live, it sometimes has a lot more downs than it does ups. We all need an anchor to keep us from drowning. My wife is my anchor, she always has been. And now I have 2 other little anchors that help me stay focused because every day, I want to come home to them. So, I work that much harder to make sure I do, it’s all that we can do.’

I’ll never forget that. I always thought you were from a different time period with your fucking wise owl advice.”

Leaning his head back on the marble, Mickey dared to continue.

“Remember the ginger fuck I told you about once? I don’t know how Andy, but this universe has it out for me. He’s here, with his stupid sparkly green eyes, and his perfectly red-orange hair, and his dumb blinding smile. He’s like a fucking puppy, I swear to God. And who hates puppies? Fucking no one, not even me.

Truth is Andy, I have no fucking clue what to do. I feel like I hurt him so fucking bad… and it’s because I did. He deserves better than anything I can offer him.

So I guess I’m here to ask what the fuck I should do,” Mickey whispered sadly.

He waited for some sort of sign, and boy did he receive it. A pigeon flew over him and pooped on the shoulder of his shirt. Mickey couldn't help but let out a roar of laughter. "Guess you always had a flare for the dramatics Andy." 

This had happened to Mickey at the end of a shift once and Andy had patted him on the back and told him it was good luck. It hadn't felt that way at the time but he knew his friend was still messing with him and looking out for him all at once.

Mickey stood up and placed his hand on Darden's tombstone. "Thanks for the talk man. We all miss you, you know. Happy birthday," he said. He poured the small remainder of the whiskey that was left on the ground and began to walk out of the cemetery.

 

* * *

Ian found himself walking towards an unfamiliar firehouse. Mandy and Mickey were scheduled to have lunch today but she had to cover one of the sick nurses so he had volunteered to bring Mickey his lunch. Standing outside of the firehouse, he double checked the address twice. He walked in through the open gates were the rigs came in through. He found one of the guys he had met at the barbecue, cleaning a pair of boots by one of the trucks. 

"Hey man," Ian said to capture the other man's attention. He recalled the man's name being Joe Cruz. "Uh, I'm looking for Mickey. Do you know where I can find him?" he asked.

Cruz gave him a friendly smile. "Hey, I know you... you're Shay's friend right? What was your name again?"

"Ian," he responded, extending his hand out. Cruz happily returned his handshake. "Ah, that's right. Mickey's inside, follow me," he told Ian.

As they made their way through the firehouse, Cruz gave Ian an impromptu tour of the place.

"That's the equipment room... that's the gym" he said pointing in the different directions. "Rescue squad A-Holes, who think they own that table," Cruz said, pointing to a table where a few guys were playing cards. Cruz's comment caused one of them to look in their direction and Ian immediately recognized him. It was Lieutenant Severide, and much like at the barbecue, he only briefly looked at Ian before losing interest and looking away.

They eventually reached the kitchen area where Mickey was nose-deep reading a manual of some sort from what Ian could see. "Yo Mick, you got a visitor," Cruz announced, causing Ian's attention to resurface. Ian thanked Cruz and the bald man retreated back to where he was originally.

Mickey looked up and was slightly surprised to see Ian standing in front of him holding a large brown bag.

"Hungry?" Ian asked. "Mandy got called into work so she sent me instead, hope that's okay."

Mickey motioned for Ian to grab a seat. "Yeah, man. Of course. I'm fucking starving."

Ian sat down and began to take out Mickey's favorite Chinese food. Mandy knew her big brother would be happy. Mickey, being a savage, finished his food in record time. Ian stared with wide eyes as the other man pushed his plate forward and rubbed his belly.

"Jesus Christ," Ian chuckled.

Mickey only shrugged his shoulders. "Told you I was hungry." He watched as Ian ate his food with the utmost patience. "So, anything new Gallagher?" Mickey asked, trying to make-up for the silence.

Ian swallowed his food and nodded. "I got a job," he announced proudly.

Mickey raised his eyebrows towards the ceiling. "Oh yeah? Where at?"

"The rec center on campus. Nothing crazy, I'm mostly just working the front desk," he explained, going back to his food.

Mickey took the opportunity to look at Ian. Puberty had surely worked in his favor. Ian had a lot less freckles now but Mickey could still see a trace of them over his cheekbones. The redhead sometimes looked like a model, and he did so effortlessly.

Ian looked up and caught Mickey staring. He gave Mickey a knowing grin which caused Mickey to look away and cough. "That's great man. Glad to see you getting all settled in." He told him genuinely.

"What's that?" Ian asked, pointing at the manual Mickey had been reading earlier.

"Uh, it's for my last certification. I'm putting in my application to join the rescue squad company," Mickey explained shyly, scratching at the back of his neck.

Ian opened his mouth to respond but a very loud alarm went off before he could do so.

" _Squad 3, Truck 49, Ambulance 81,"_ an overhead speak announced throughout the entire firehouse. "That's me," Mickey said apologetically as he scrambled out of his chair. "Thanks for lunch, Gallagher!" he yelled out as he ran out into the main floor. Ian walked out towards the door from the kitchen to the main floor. He watched in awe as Mickey and the other guys grabbed their helmets, slipped on their boots, and shrugged on their fire coats, in a matter of a minute's time. A few seconds later, the truck was pulling out with the alarms roaring and soon it was out of Ian's sight.

"Be safe, Mick." Ian whispered to himself.

 

* * *

 

At around 7:15pm, Shay and Mickey found themselves walking tiredly towards their townhome. It had been a very busy shift after Mickey had left Ian at lunch time. Mickey felt fatigued from head to toe and just wanted to get home to his memory foam mattress that Shay had convinced him to get when they moved in together, it had been the best decision he had made.

After 15 minutes of practically dragging their feet, they arrived at their home.

“It’s your turn to walk Boswer,” Shay announced as she began to take off her shoes.

“ _Fuckkkkk meeee_ ,” Mickey groaned loudly in protest.

Shay chuckled lightly. “I would if I was straight. Now get to it.”

Mickey let out a special whistle he reserved to capture his canine companion’s attention, and within seconds Bowser was at his side smiling up at his owner. He hooked the leash onto Bowser’s collar and headed for the door.

When he opened the door, a much too familiar face was holding his hand up in a fist about to knock on the door. “What the fuck are _you_ doing here?” he asked in annoyance.

Lip lifted both of his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m not here to argue… quite the opposite actually. I’m here to apologize.”

“I don’t need your stupid apology,” Mickey replied, pushing past him and beginning to walk down the sidewalk.

“I know it was you who saved Ian,” Lip yelled out after him, forcing Mickey to stop dead in his tracks. Lip began to walk towards Mickey and when he finally reached him, he cocked his head towards the nearby park. “Shall we?” he asked. Mickey nodded lightly and began to follow suit.

“You want to talk? Alright then, talk,” Mickey said bleakly.

“Look, I’m sorry okay? I know I fucked up by jumping to conclusions. I was just looking out for Ian… but I now know you are too.

I’m leaving in a few days. I’m moving to New York to start my new job. I just wanted to fill in some gaps before I did.”

Mickey's eyebrows wrinkled together in confusion. “I don’t even know what that means,” he responded, feeling slightly irritated. He didn’t really mind Lip Gallagher, but he preferred to keep their interactions at a minimum.

Lip allowed a brief smile to slip. _Same old Mickey_ , he thought. “How much do you know about what happened with Ian after he ran off to the army?”

Mickey scratched at the back of his head, feeling slightly guilty. “Not much I guess, I just know he somehow ended up here.”

Lip sat down on a bench in the park and motioned for Mickey to sit down as well. Mickey wasn’t much for patience but he was more tolerant when it came to Ian.

“Well, Ian ran off to the army, right?” Lip asked, making sure Mickey was following. The brunette nodded in response. “They ultimately found out he wasn’t 18 and kicked him out… except he never came home. His bipolar disorder had kicked in and he didn’t know it. He was working at a fucking nightclub and was on a bunch of fucking drugs that the old queens were giving him… sometimes he even turned a few tricks,” Lip explained, looking away from Mickey.

“I ended up deferring a semester from MIT just to find him and get him home. Eventually I did, I got him to see a doctor and got him back on track. He was depressed for a while but he’s Ian, there’s nothing he can’t hop back from. He’s come a long way Mickey. I’m just trying to make sure nothing gets in the way of that. You can’t blame me for thinking you’d flare up some bad fucking memories for him.”

Mickey closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. “Holy fuck, Ian,” he whispered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t know.”

Bowser began to whine and Mickey began to walk back towards his place with Lip following at his side. They walked in silence as Mickey processed everything.

When they reached Mickey’s door, Lip broke the silence. “I’m sorry Mickey, I really am. I know Ian will be in good hands with you and Mandy looking out for him, since I won’t be able to anymore.”

“So, are we good?” Lip asked, feeling hopeful.

“Yeah, whatever,” Mickey grumbled out after a moment. “Don’t fucking hurt my sister though, or our little treaty will go to shit.”

Lip huffed out a small laugh. “Understood. Night Mickey Milkovich,” he said, staring innocently at Mickey.

Mickey rolled his eyes and gave the other man the middle finger. “Fuck off, Phillip,” he replied tiredly as he walked up the steps and slammed his door shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am planning a very southside chapter where we get to reminisce and welcome back our favorite southside thug (Mickey)... it should be Ch. 7, as Ch. 6 will be the built up. You can take the boy out of the southside but you can't take the southside out of the boy. The next update will be a double chapter update, can't wait!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below :)


	6. Character Backgrounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just a breakdown of the major characters and their histories. They will give you insight as to why they behave the way they do. It'll become important as some of them play a big role in both Ian and Mickey's lives.

**Mickey Milkovich/Monroe**

****

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Occupation: Firefighter

Background: Though initially wanting to keep his head down and not interact too much with the rest of the firehouse, he is now fully integrated into the extended family that is Firehouse 51. His mentor, Andy Darden, was his first friend at the firehouse and his friend's passing was extra tough on Mickey. He is working towards joining the Rescue Squad under Lt. Severide's suggestion and guidance. Being roommates with Shay helped him be more comfortable in his own skin and his co-workers know about his sexuality, although they do not openly discuss it at his request. He focuses heavily on his career and doesn't give much else a second thought.

 

**Mandy Milkovich/Monroe**

****

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Occupation: Nursing Aide

Background: While helping Mickey study to get his EMT certification, Mandy found that she too enjoyed learning about the medical field. She decided to go to college and become a Certified Nursing Aide. She works at one of the local hospitals in the city and often runs into Shay and Dawson. She has continued to date guys that her brother and uncle disapprove of but she is trying to find the "one." Her ultimate goal is to continue her schooling and become a registered nurse.

 

**Ian Gallagher**

****

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Occupation: Student

Background: Ian's demeanor remains calm, cool, and collected. He has been in previous relationships that haven't ended well and although at peace with his diagnosis, it is still challenging for him to open up to people about it. He is attending UMass Boston and pursuing a degree in Psychology. 

 

**Leslie Shay**

****

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Occupation: Paramedic

Background: Has been best friends with Kelly Severide since they met when she first moved to Boston. Shay transferred to be a paramedic at 51 after aunt passed away. She is roommates with Mickey and they help one another out when life gets tough. Though she is 5 years older, Mickey often protects her like she is his little sister. She thinks of Mickey and Mandy as family as she has known their uncle most of her life. She no longer speaks to her parents, and because her aunt has passed away, her firehouse 51 family is all she has left.

 

**Ronald "Uncle Ronnie" Monroe**

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts 

Occupation: Retired Firefighter

Background: A widow, uncle Ronnie focuses on helping to improve the lives of his youngest nephew and niece. He served as a firefighter for over 25 years and retired under the rank of Captain. His next door neighbor was Emilia Shay, Leslie Shay's aunt, so he also thinks of her as family. He was overjoyed when hearing that Mickey ended up becoming  Shay's roommate. 

 

**Lieutenant Kelly Severide**

****

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts 

Occupation: Firefighter - Rescue Squad Lieutenant

Background: Graduated top of his class at the Fire Academy along with fellow firefighter, Matt Casey. He became the youngest firefighter to ever make Rescue Squad and was quickly promoted to Lieutenant due to his proficient leadership skills. He was childhood friends with Andy Darden. Severide had a falling out with Lt. Casey after Darden's death, as they both blamed one another for Darden's death. They eventually settled their differences after Mickey and Shay brought the firehouse together after the accident. He met Leslie Shay during his senior year of high school and they have been best friends ever since.

 

**Lieutenant Matthew Casey**

****

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts 

Occupation: Firefighter - Truck Lieutenant

Background: Graduated from the fire academy alongside his fellow lieutenant, Kelly Severide. Due to miscommunication during a call, his friend Andy Darden was killed and it caused animosity between him and Severide, ultimately leading to both companies turning on another. He is in a relationship with Gabriela Dawson. 

 

**Andrew "Andy" Darden _(Deceased)_**

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts 

Occupation: Firefighter - Truck Company

Background: Lifelong friends with Kelly Severide. After graduating from fire academy, they both ended up working in the same firehouse. Darden was Mickey's mentor when he first arrived at Firehouse 51. Due to a mix-up during a call, Darden entered a building that had not been vented and ultimately was burned alive. Darden's wife, Heather, holds a grudge against all of the firefighters that were there when he passed away and eventually moved away.

 

**Lip Gallagher**

****

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois.

Occupation: Robotics Engineer

Background: Graduated from MIT and helped his younger brother find his place in Boston. Lip has battled with alcoholism for the past two years and is now sober. He often had to travel back home to Chicago to help his family. Because he lived in Somerville, he never ran into Mickey or Mandy as they are on the opposite side of the Charles River.

 

**Peter Mills**

****

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts 

Occupation: Fire Candidate

Background: Newest member of Firehouse 51. He is 19 years old and recently graduated from the Fire Academy. His father was a member of rescue squad and served with Chief Bowden in the same fire company back in the day. His father passed away while on duty.

 

**Joe Cruz**

 

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts 

Occupation: Firefighter - Truck Company

Background: Is often considered the comedic relief of the firehouse. Cruz takes pride in being the designated driver of the fire truck and often has a friendly rivalry with Mickey. He is Puerto Rican and has some special talents that his co-workers will soon find out about.

 

**Finnigan "Iggy" Milkovich**

****

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois.

Occupation: Mechanic

Background: After his baby siblings left Chicago and his father was incarcerated, Iggy decided to get on the road and go as far east as he could. He ended up in Connecticut and works at a small garage as a mechanic. He stays in contact with his siblings but hasn't seen them since they left. 

 

**Gabriela Dawson**

****

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts

Occupation: Paramedic

Background: Married to Lt. Matt Casey and very close friends with Leslie Shay. Her brother, Antonio Dawson, is a detective for the city and often helps out under special circumstances that call for law enforcement involvement. She is also the co-owner of Molly's.

 

**Chief Wallace Bowden**

****

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts

Occupation: Fire Chief of Firehouse 51

Background: Worked under Captain Ronald Monroe and alongside both Severide and Peter Mill's fathers.

 

**Matt Jones**

****

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts 

Occupation: Doctor

Background: Severide's adopted cousin. He was abandoned at a fire station and Severide's uncle took him in along with his wife who were unable to conceive children. He, like Severide, spent most of his childhood in a firehouse but did not want to be a firefighter. He developed feelings for Mickey after hooking up several times but Mickey explicitly explained that he did not want a relationship with him.

 

**Christopher Hermann**

****

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts

Occupation: Bar Owner/ Retired Firefighter

Background: Being one of the veterans at Firehouse 51, Hermann was ready to retire. After experiencing what happened to Darden, he decided it was time and he now runs Molly's, which the guys frequently visit. He is seen as the face of wisdom, often when anyone in the firehouse is experiencing a problem, they'll visit Hermann at Molly's and they work things out over a beer.

 

**Dominic Summers***

*This Original Character will be introduce during the next update.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently working on Chapters 7 & 8... Hope to post them by the end of the week.


	7. Catalyst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian is invited to a Red Sox game. Lip prepares to leave for New York. Two people that Mickey hasn’t seen in a long time come into town to help with a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catalyst (noun): an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action.

“Come on Lacy Mae, use those short legs God gave you,” Ian joked as he took long strides towards the rec center. Lacy Mae James, his front desk co-worker, had become his closest friend in Boston. She was barely five feet tall and had a strong Texas accent that Ian adored.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Lacy shouted after him, struggling to keep up. They had been working for two weeks now and today was the day they were due to become first aid and CPR certified.

Ian and Lacy arrived early and were waiting in one of the fitness rooms that were normally used for group exercise classes.

“You know Patrick has the hots for you, right?” Lacy whispered closely, her facial expression slightly scandalized.

Ian stared into her hazel eyes before letting out a low chuckle. “Yeah, probably. Not really sure I’m interested though.” He admitted.

Their attention was temporarily placed on the figure that had walked into the room of student employees.

The lovely Leslie Shay had strolled into the room caring a few duffel bags. Ian, being just a few feet away from the door, instantly stood to greet his friend.

“Hey Shay,” he said, bringing her attention to him. She gave him a bright smile and pulled him into a brief hug. “Hey yourself,” she responded.

“What are you doing here?” Ian asked, cocking his head to the side.

Shay gave him a slightly wicked smirk. “I’m your teacher for the day. I do CPR classes to bring in some extra money,” she explained.

They spoke for a brief moment before Shay had to begin setting things up. Lacy, as curious as ever, pried Ian as to who Shay was. He told her all about Shay and the guys at 51. Once Shay was finished, she joined Ian again.

“As usual, I messed up,” she admitted, pulling up a chair near the two.

Ian raised a single curious eyebrow. “What’d you do this time?” he asked.

“I didn’t bring enough of the dummies but don’t worry, I’ve got it covered,” she assured him confidently. There was a slight tone to her voice that made Ian believe she was up to something but he didn’t pry on the matter.

Shay entertained Ian and Lacy for a few moments more before another person made their way into the room.

“Yo, Leslie Elizabeth, I brought those dummies for you, you dummy,” Mickey told her, feigning annoyance at his roommate.

“Ah! Perfect!” Shay squealed. “Thanks Mickey Bear,” she told him in a baby voice, squeezing his cheeks.

Mickey let out a low grunt and slapped her hands away. “Jesus. Thought I told you to never do that shit in public… or ever if we can avoid it,” he whined.

Ian’s laughter caused Mickey to focus on him. “Gallagher? Man, this day just keeps getting more interesting,” he said, staring at Shay pointedly. Shay simply shrugged her shoulders and grabbed the extra dummies.

“All right class, we’re all ready to start. This is my friend Mickey Monroe,” she announced, motioning to where Mickey was standing. “he’ll be assisting us today. If all goes well I should have you all out of here in 2 and ½ hours.”

After dividing everyone into two groups, the class ran smoothly for the most part.

Shay had left Mickey in charge of the group Ian was in which he knew was probably her plan all along, she wasn't exactly subtle.

Everything considered, Mickey behaved well... or at least he did until some frat boy looking douche-bag kept hitting on Ian the majority of the time.

Mickey was starting to become irritable for two reasons. One being the fact that college girls couldn't pick up on the fact that he was gay so they kept making eyes at him the entire time and giggling. The second reason was this Patrick guy, he had no shame in openly flirting with Ian which drove Mickey insane.

When it came time to do chest compressions, Patrick kept staring at Ian and giving him bedroom eyes. Mickey had had enough so he walked between Patrick and Ian, blocking their line of sight, and got right in the other man's face.

"Congrats doofus, you just killed the kid instead of resuscitating him," Mickey said flatly, glaring at the other man. "You wanna mess around? Fine. But you ain't doing it here. So you can either get your shit together, or you can walk out that door. Choice is up to you." Mickey gave the man a forced, fake smile.

Patrick, who admittedly was a very handsome guy with short chocolate curls and hazel eyes, was appalled at Mickey's comment. He returned Mickey's glare but nonetheless stopped messing with Ian for the remainder of the time.

Mickey smirked to himself and got back on his feet to continue his work. His gaze overlapped with Ian's briefly and he could see the redhead's lips pursed into a tight line. Mickey had to stop himself from rolling his eyes, instead he just mouthed "It's fine," and moved on.

"So let me get this straight," Lacy began, pulling Ian closely so only he could hear. "I can't get a guy to look twice at me, but you can get two very hot guys to fight over your attention?" she told him, pouting helplessly.

Ian rolled his eyes at her in a friendly manner. "First of all, you're perfect. Secondly, no one is fighting for my attention," he assured her. She remained unconvinced however, "Don't be naive Ian. But if I was you, I'd go for the firefighter... mmm the bubble butt on the man," she praised. Ian elbowed her lightly and chuckled. 

The rest of the time passed by peacefully and before everyone knew it, they were all done. Mickey helped Shay clean up and gather all the equipment.

Patrick, annoyed by Mickey's intrusion earlier, decided to force the other man's hand just a bit more.

As Mickey was packing things up near the other two guys, Patrick decided to go in for the kill. "Hey, Ian. You busy tonight? A couple of people are coming over to my place for a party. You should come," he said, his expression filled with lust. 

Mickey, who was only an ear shot away, couldn't help but scoff. "Yo, Gallagher," he said, speaking loud enough to get the redhead's attention. Both Patrick and Ian stared back at Mickey. "Don't forget about the Red Sox game tonight," he said to Ian, he gave the other man a very pointed look.

Though Ian knew that Mickey had never told him about him being invited to the baseball game, he knew better. "Oh yeah," Ian said, snapping his fingers. "Sorry Pat, I already have plans. Maybe next time," he responded sounding apologetic. 

Annoyed, Patrick stormed off and exited the room. Leaving Mickey, Ian, and Shay in the room with only a few others. Ian stared at Mickey with his arms crossed, waiting for the other man to explain himself.

Shay, having finished packing, stared at the two men by her. "Ready?" she asked. Mickey nodded and lifted the last of the duffel bags and threw them over his shoulder. 

Mickey walked past Ian but stopped right before he walked out the door. "Game's at 7 Gallagher, I'll text you where we're all meeting up. See ya," he said over his shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Entering Fenway Park was definitely one of the highlights of Ian's life. The stadium's rich history made Ian feel like a little kid again, gawking at every little thing. 

"Pretty cool right?" Peter Mills asked with a smile.

"Yeah man, this is awesome." Ian chimed in.

The usual group was in attendance, Severide, Casey, Cruz, Shay, Dawson, Mickey and even the candidate, Peter Mills had been invited. Everyone was friendly enough but Ian felt the most comfortable around Cruz, Mills and Shay... and of course Mickey. 

As they made their way to their seats, Ian expected to be heading towards the upper-level. What he didn't expect was to be seated 5 rows away from home plate.

Ian sat in between Mickey and Mills. "Man, these seats are incredible. Thanks Mick."

Mickey couldn't help but smile at Ian's comment. "Don't mention it. We've taken a few calls at the park before and the GM finally decided to hook us up," Mickey explained, shrugging his shoulders.

As the game got underway, Ian kept easy conversation with Pete and Mickey. He realized he had a lot in common with Peter Mills, they weren't far in age and they both loved to run. They even made plans to start running together in hopes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon the following year.

"Alright Cruz, it's your turn to buy the beers," Severide announced. "Mick, you sure you don't want one?" he asked.

Mickey shifted uncomfortably in his seat and shook his head. "Nah man, I'm fine."

"Well that's something you don't see everyday," Peter Mills whispered under his breath, just loud enough that Ian had overheard it.

Cruz groaned and got up to get the next round. Ian frowned at the sight in front of him. He had known Mickey the majority of his life. The guy had started downing beers since elementary school. He definitely never watched anything without one in his hand. It didn't take a genius to know why Mickey had opted not to drink.

During the seventh-inning stretch Ian stood up to get a smoke break. Mickey watched him make his way out but didn't follow him. He knew something was bothering Ian but he wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

In the smoker's lounge, Ian took in the sight of the city. The sun was setting and everything looked breath-taking. He was snapped out of his trance when he heard the door open.

"Hey, you okay?" Shay asked, making her way towards him.

"I know why he's not drinking," Ian said flatly, not taking his eyes off the view.

"He's trying Ian, in the only way he knows how. Go easy on him, just talk it out," she suggested. It was odd how they could communicate so well even using such vague sentences. 

Ian remained unmoved and didn't bother replying. 

“You don’t see the way he stares at you, do you?” Shay asked, forcing the other man to engage her.

Ian sighed. “How does he stare at me?” he asked, taking the bait. 

Shay’s lips curved up into a small, kind smile. “Like you’re the only person in the world… you know, for someone with 20/20 vision, you’re pretty blind,” she teased. She squeezed his shoulder and made her way back inside.

Ian was alone for another minute when he heard the glass door open. "Back for another talk Shay?" He asked, still looking out.

"Got the wrong person," Mickey replied. He leaned over the railing, joining Ian. "What's up man? You're acting weird."

Ian laughed humorlessly. "Seems to me like you're the one acting weird, Mick."

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?" Mickey questioned, his tone beginning to get defensive. He positioned his body towards Ian.

"Why aren't you drinking Mick? Afraid the temptation will be too big for me? I'm not an unstable kid you know," Ian replied, lighting another cigarette.

Mickey shook his head incredulously. "I didn't mean it like that you dick. I just didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. We practically grew up with a beer in our hands... and now things are different," Mickey told him, trailing off and looking away. 

"You don't owe me anything," Ian replied, staring at Mickey for the first time. The look he gave Mickey made the older man feeling he got punched in the stomach. "Honestly Mick, I don't get you." Ian put out his cigarette and began to make his way out.

"Fuck," Mickey whispered under his breath. He knew he had to do something. He couldn't let Ian leave like that. 

He quickly pulled Ian back and placed his hand on the other man's neck guiding him down. Mickey kissed him passionately, like they were the only two people on the planet. Ian felt electricity run throughout his entire body, all the way down to his toes. Mickey bit down on Ian's bottom lip, making the other man groan. When they finally pulled apart, they were both desperately trying to catch their breath.

"You understand that, Gallagher?"

Ian, still feeling breathless, could only nod. 

"Alright. Now can we get back to the fucking game? It's not everyday we get seats like this, man." Ian rolled his eyes but followed suit.

Right before they entered their section, Ian stopped. "Hey, I'll catch up with you in a minute. There's something I need to do."

Mickey searched Ian's eyes but ultimately nodded and made his way back to their seats.

A few minutes later, Ian plopped down next to him. He watched as Ian reached over and placed a cup full of beer in his cup holder. Mickey couldn't help but grin like a fool.

"I appreciate the sentiment Mick, but I'm fine. Live your life," he whispered, low enough that only Mickey would hear.

Mickey nodded and took a sip of the beer that was now his. Savoring it's wonderful taste. From the corner of his eye he could see his roommate staring at them with a smile on her face.

 _Fucking Shay. Her and Ian will be the death of me_ , he thought to himself. Nevertheless, he met her gaze and smiled back at her, lifting his beer cup and cheering her from afar.

 

* * *

 

After finishing curling the very last piece of hair, Mandy put some last minute touches on her make-up. She was going out to dinner with the doctor she had been seeing for the past two weeks.

A knock on the door sent her scrambling to put on her heels. “Coming!” she yelled out as she tied the strap of her heel. She quickly opened the door but was met with a different face than she was expecting.

“What are you doing here?” she asked softly.

Lip stared at her for a brief moment before speaking. She looked more beautiful than he could ever imagine and it had taken his breath away. “I came to say goodbye,” he explained.

He didn’t miss it when Mandy’s face fell slightly, though she tried to let it not be noticeable. “Oh,” was all she could find it in her to reply.

“I got a job offer in New York and I’ve been preparing for it for a while now. I’m about to head out.”

Mandy pursed her lips and nodded. She was still a bit confused as to why he was at her door.

“Look Mandy, I know I haven’t always treated you well. And the truth is, if it wasn’t for you, I probably wouldn’t be here.” He presented her with the flower he had been hiding behind his back. It was a singular red rose. It was the most beautiful flower she had ever seen; no guy had ever gotten her flowers before.

“I know it isn’t much, but I wanted to give you a small token,” he shifted slightly before continuing. “I’m sorry Mandy. For everything. But I’m glad you’re doing so well for yourself, really, I am.” He assured her.

Mandy couldn’t help but smile. Though she would never want to admit it, Lip always had a way of making her feel like a shy little girl. “Thanks. I’m happy for you too,” she replied sincerely.

Lip scratched at the back of his head. “I guess that’s it, really. I didn’t have a fancy speech prepared or anything,” he joked. “If you ever find yourself in New York, feel free to reach out.”

"Yeah... sure, Lip."

Lip smiled and turned to walk back towards the elevator. Mandy was about to close her door when Lip turned back around and started to walk towards her. "Hey, Mandy?"

She lifted her head to look in his direction when he took head gently between his hands and put his lips on hers. The kiss was soft and tender, not rough like they had been when they were teenagers. Lip pulled away shortly after, keeping his face close to hers. "You look beautiful, Mands," he told her, making Mandy's breath hitch. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before pulling away complete. "Bye Mandy," he said with finality.

After watching the elevator doors close on him, Mandy finally closed her door. "Goodbye Lip," she whispered into the empty surrounding space.

A loud knock on the door caused her to jump. Assuming it was Lip, she hurried to the door. She smiled as she swung it open. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't Lip. There was however, a very angry date staring straight at her.

 

* * *

 

After the game, Ian went home with both Mickey and Shay. The three sat around talking aimlessly just enjoying one another's company. When Mickey stood up to get them all something to drink from the kitchen, he noticed he was smiling like an idiot. _Jesus, get it together_. He couldn't help it though. As much as he fought the urge, being near Ian made him happy, it was just inevitable. He supposed he always knew as much, but tonight had been an awakening. He loved when Ian smiled and laughed, and he'd do anything to keep it that way. He also knew he sounded like such a fucking sap, but he didn't care enough to try and change it.

After returning to the living room with a glass of whatever for everyone, Mickey sat back and listened in on the conversation. 

"So Ian, how are you liking Boston?" Shay asked. She stole a quick glance at Mickey before returning her attention to Ian.

Ian ran a hand across his chin. "You know, I wasn't really sure at first. But it's starting to really grow on me. I'm happy I'm here," he told her. 

Shay was overjoyed with his reply. "I'm glad to hear that kiddo. 'Cause I'd be devastated if I had to live in a city without such a handsome ginger," she joked, running her fingers through his short red hair.

"Aw, you think I'm handsome, Leslie?" he mocked.

Shay scoffed at his reply. "You wish."

Ian couldn't help but smirk. "Looks like Mickey has really rubbed off on you. You talk like him and everything," he teased.

As if on cue, both Mickey and Shay flipped Ian the bird in perfect unison.

The doorbell rang causing Shay to stand up to see who it was. She was surprised as it was already 11, she couldn't fathom who could be visiting them at this time.

The light on the street were dim but she recognize Mandy in an instant. "Oh hey Mandy, come in," she told her, moving to the side to let the younger woman in.

Mandy was slightly trembling as she walked in past Shay. "Everything okay?"

Once Mandy was inside, Shay could see everything that was wrong. "Jesus, Mandy. What happened?" Shay asked, bringing her hand to her mouth to attempt to hide the horror she was feeling.

"Is my brother here? Please don't let him see me like this Shay," Mandy begged her. Her lip was split open and she could barely see out of her left eye as it was black and swollen.

Shay began to move Mandy towards the kitchen but at that exact moment Mickey walked in. "Hey, who was at the door- Mandy?"

His sister, on instinct, faced away from him trying to hide her face. Mickey moved past Shay and turned his sister around. After taking in the sight of his sister, he felt his the blood in his veins boiling. "What the fuck happened Mandy?" Mickey asked, his tone harsh and serious.

Mandy forced herself to give her brother a smile. "It was nothing, just ran into some things," she told him, attempting to brush off the situation.

Mickey couldn't hide his scoff. "Bull-fucking-shit you ran into something. I want a name. He's a dead man."

"I'm fine Mickey, really. Shay will just fix me up," she responded, not meeting her brother's gaze.

"Jesus Christ Mandy!" Ian exclaimed, walking into the kitchen to see what was going on.

Annoyed and frustrated Mandy lashed out. "Fuck off already! I don't want to talk about it. Now Shay, can you please help me?" she pleaded.

Shay nodded and began to lead Mandy upstairs. She didn't speak a word in an attempt to respect Mandy's wishes.

"What the fuck happened?" Ian asked, turning back to stare at Mickey.

Mickey stared down and ran his thumb across his bottom lip. "I think I have an idea. And that bastard is going to pay."

"What are you going to do?" Ian asked, feeling anxious.

Taking his phone out of his back pocket, Mickey tapped on a contact and brought his phone to his ear. He walked out towards the living room as the call rang. It rang a few times before someone finally picked up.

 _“Yeah?”_ A sleepy voice answered.

“I need you to come to Boston tonight.”

 _“Mick? The fuck man, it’s almost midnight,”_ Iggy whined sleepily.

“Some asshole Mandy is dating beat her up… just get down here Ig.”

Iggy immediately sounded more alert. “ _Alright, say no more. I’m on my way,_ ” he responded. Mickey could hear shuffling through the phone.

They hung up and Mickey slumped down on the couch to wait for his older brother. The asshole that had put his hands on his sister wouldn’t get away with it. If there was one thing you didn’t do, it was fuck with a Milkovich… especially the baby of the family.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t until 2 a.m. that Mickey’s phone buzzed. He was wide awake, pacing in the living room as Ian was passed out cold on the sofa.

[Iggy 2:02 am] _Outside._

Mickey quietly slipped out of his front door, careful not to wake anyone else.

Down the street Mickey saw a vehicle flash its lights. He rolled his eyes at his brother’s slightly dramatic antics and began to walk towards it.

Iggy got out of the car and met his brother by the hood of his restored ’89 Pontiac Firebird.

“Thanks for coming on short notice,” Mickey told his brother as they greeted one another with fist bumps.

“Of course, man. Anything for my baby siblings,” Iggy replied, his tone was slightly teasing but he meant it. “I’ve got a little surprise for you. Another willing hand to get back at this fucker who laid his hands on the wrong girl.”

Iggy tapped on the hood of his car lightly, motioning for someone to get out of the car. The street lights were dim and Mickey couldn’t see who was in the passenger seat. Iggy stood back with a huge grin on his face, while Mickey stared on curiously.

Slowly, the passenger door opened. A tall young man with chestnut brown hair, that was just an inch from reaching his shoulders, got out. The young man was tall, probably as tall as Ian, Mickey estimated. He stood by Iggy, leaning against the car. He too sported a huge grin. The unknown man stared at Mickey, patiently waiting for a reaction.

“Who the fuck is this, Ig?” Mickey asked, feeling slightly frustrated that his brother would bring a stranger into family business. It wasn’t the Milkovich way of doing things.

Mickey stared at his brother but it wasn’t Iggy who replied next. “What’s the matter? Don’t recognize me… Mickey Mouse?” The man asked, borderline ready to break into laughter.

It was at that moment that Mickey froze upon hearing the nickname. It wasn’t one that anyone ever used on him… there was only one person that had ever called him by it.

“Holy shit.” Mickey’s blue eyes went wide at the realization. “Dom? Dominic motherfucking Summers?”

Dominic gave his old friend a huge smile and they came together for a brief bro-hug. “It’s been a minute, hasn’t it?”

“It’s been twelve years bitch,” Mickey scoffed.

The Summers had lived in the house next to the Milkovich family. Dominic had been Mickey’s only friend outside of his family as a child. Both boys had been attached at the hip until Dominic had been sent to live with his grandparents in Texas after his father lost his job. Mickey had never heard from him again.

“He came into my job last week,” Iggy began explaining, anticipating his baby brother's curiosity. “Apparently, I haven’t changed much because he recognized me instantly,” he said with a shrug.

Dominic brought a cigarette up to his lips. “I was with Iggy when you called. Heard what that little shit did to Mandy, so I’m here to offer my services.”

Mickey nodded and stared at both men intently.

“Alright then. Let’s get this show on the road. Shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to get southside real soon.  
> I know I promised a double update but life sometimes gets in the way. I do hope to post chapter 8 soon, It'll be a shorter chapter. The next few chapters will be made up of the Gallavich feels we all want and crave.  
> As usual, comments are appreciated, I love hearing your thoughts.


	8. You Messed With The Wrong Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey, with the help of Ian, Iggy, Dominic, get revenge on the guy who beat up Mandy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't use a beta so I'll be correcting any mistakes as I read through it later on. If you catch any, feel free to let me know. :)

"Hey unc, you got any pizza rolls?" Iggy yelled out from the kitchen. He was raiding his uncle's fridge in an attempt to satisfy his hunger.

Ronnie made his way to his oldest nephew. "Finnigan, I don't buy that garbage. Step away from the fridge, I'll heat you some leftover pasta," he offered. Iggy quickly perked up at the suggestion and even managed to suppress a groan at hearing his full name.

A few moments later he made his way to down to the basement where Mickey's old room used to be.

"Jesus fucking Christ Ig," Mickey grunted, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. 

Iggy wrinkled his nose but continued to stuff his face while holding the plate of food. "What? I need carbs man. Can't kill someone without carbs."

Dominic chuckled lightly and took another sip of his beer.

"We aren't going to kill anyone you dumbfuck," Mickey explained. "We're just going to hurt him... really fucking bad."

All three men stared at one another and nodded in unison. There wasn't anyone else he trusted to get this job done than his brother and long time friend... well, maybe Ian, but Mickey didn't want him getting caught up on this.

"Alright, so everyone know what they have to do?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we know what to do Mick. You've only gone over it 5 times," the older man teased, rolling his eyes playfully. "Now the real question is: how the fuck do we get away with all of this? Isn't he some rich prick? all he's gotta do is call the cops after we let him go and we'll never see the outside of a prison cell."

Mickey rubbed his chin with his index finger and thumb before responding. "I took care of the police situation... don't worry about it. Just trust me," he told them, not meeting them in the eyes. Southsiders didn't make deals with cops... but everything has it's exceptions.

Iggy finished his plate of food and burped loudly. "Alright little bro. You know we're all in. Let's get this party started shall we?"

 

* * *

 

All three men sat inside Mickey's dark SUV inside the hospital parking garage. The asshole that had beat up Mandy, Dr. Blake Ryan, was set to wrap up his shift soon. They weren't going to kill the guy, they were just going to show them that you didn't mess with a Milkovich... not without consequences.

Iggy laid sprawled out on the backseat while Dominic sat in the passenger seat smoking a cigarette out the window. Mickey felt his phone buzz in his jacket pocket so he pulled it out to see he had received a message.

[Ian 7:55pm] _Where are you?_

[Mickey 7:55pm] _Taking care of something. I'm fine. I'll see you back at my place later. Stay with Mandy._

Mickey could see Ian had read his message but had chosen not to reply. He knew Ian was mad at him. When his brother and Dom had arrived, he had taken off without telling Ian anything. The redhead had called and sent him numerous messages which he had ignored until now.

"Fuck," Mickey whispered under his breath.

"What's wrong Mick?" Dominic asked him, not bothering to take his gaze away from looking out the window.

"Fuck should I know. Relationships are complicated," he grunted out.

Dominic only chuckled in response, not pressing the matter any further.

After a few moments, they saw the doctor head towards them. They had parked a few cars away from the douchebag's corvette. 

Mickey turned towards Dominic and elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "Alright Summers, you're up."

Dominic quietly got out the car and made his way towards the doctor.

Dr. Blake Ryan was busy paying attention to his phone, so when Dominic approached him, he was caught by surprise. Dominic quickly and quietly snuck up behind the man and put him in a choke hold. Moments later the doctor was sprawled out unconscious in the other man's arms.

The black Jeep SUV drove up to them and the trunk opened up. Dom threw the doctor in the back and tied his hands and feet together while also placing a blindfold on him.

"Alright, let's go," Dominic said, sliding back into the passenger side seat. Mickey complied and took off towards the interstate.

 

* * *

 

In his 24 years of being alive, Dr. Blake Ryan had never known fear. Not like he was about to experience.

He was woke startled when he felt ice water wash over him. "What the fuck?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to see what was happening.

"Wakey wakey doc," Mickey told him. They were in an empty warehouse that had a ceiling that was 30 feet tall.

Dominic stood by the door smoking a cigarette. He couldn't wait to see how things were about to fold out.

"Who the hell are you?" Blake demanded.

Mickey plastered a fake smile on his face. "That's enough from you. I'm doing the talking okay? If you don't cooperate, I'll just gag you. Your choice," Mickey said simply.

Blake swallowed hard, his face beginning to turn white.

"I heard you like to put your hands on women," Mickey began. He went around the doctor and undid the ropes that tied his wrists and ankles. "See, I grew up in a shitty neighborhood. And even where I'm from, I don't like seeing that kinda shit. I will give you a choice though, since you think you're Rocky fucking Balboa, you can fight me. Man to man."

Blake scoffed. "I don't know who you think you are, but you better let me go before I call the cops," he threatened.

"Go right ahead." Mickey instructed him. He stood about five feet from the other man with his arms crossed tightly. He took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up a picture. Mickey threw the phone at the doctor who barely managed to catch it.

Blake analyzed the picture in front of him. It was a picture of his car at a junk yard. He frantically swiped right to see if there were more pictures, instead, he came across a video. Blake watched with a horrified expression as his Corvette was turned into a cube. 

"Alright asshole. You want a fight? You got one."

Mickey smiled as Blake rushed toward him and swung wildly. Mickey easily stepped out of the way and landed a blow to the man's abdomen. Blake fell to his knees hugging his side. Mickey landed a swift kick across the guy's face causing blood to splatter all over the floor.

Loud banging on one of the doors caused Mickey's attention to shift.

Dominic and Mickey communicated silently, only with looks. Dom nodded and made his way out another exit to see who was at the front. 

He returned a few moments later. "Uh, we have a problem," he announced, scratching at the back of his neck. "You may want to take a look outside."

The door opened before Mickey got a chance.

He rolled his eyes when he saw who it was.

Mandy and Ian stood by the rear exit. "The fuck are you two doing here? How'd you even find us?" Mickey asked impatiently. He hated interruptions. He also hated having Mandy so close to the asshole who hit her. Mickey tried to pretend he wasn't concerned that Ian was there. He wanted the stupid redhead to be safe at home. Not being a possible accomplice to a crime.

Mandy pushed her way past him and moved towards Blake who was on the floor in a fetal position.

Mickey looked back at Ian who had a hard expression across his face. "You share your location with Shay on your phone. It wasn't hard to find you," he explained. "Just for the record, you're a fucking idiot for doing this."

Mickey's attention focused back on his sister. Mandy kicked at Blake's legs to get the man to look at her. When he finally did, she grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him up until he was on his knees.

"You fucked with the wrong girl," she told him, her voice ice cold. She took her baton out and struck him multiple times across most of his body regions. The man cried out in pain and attempted to tackle Mandy down but Dominic had been standing behind him and blocked him from doing so.

"If you ever put your hands on me, or any other woman for that matter, I'll dig your grave myself," she threatened. "and trust me, I'm pretty good at it." 

"I don't take threats from low class whores," Blake murmured, his voice barely audible. 

Mandy smiled darkly. "You do now."

She walked over to her older brother and whispered something in his ear. Mickey nodded in response. "Go home Mandy, I'll take care of this." Mickey gave Ian a pointed look and the redhead began to guide Mandy towards the exit. Before Ian walked out the door, Mickey grabbed his elbow. He didn't say anything, he just stared at Ian with soft, concerned eyes. Ian yanked his elbow back and stormed off. Mickey sighed loudly and shook his head.

As soon as the two had arrived, they had left.

"Alright Dr. Ryan, looks like we're taking a trip to the roof for our grand finale," Mickey announced. 

Dominic dragged the doctor up the stairs and to the roof. Iggy met them on the roof, he held a long rope in both hands.

Blake was borderline comatose but once they brought him to the edge off the rood, he quickly awakened. "No, no, NO!" he shouted, fighting to get away from the edge.

The three men kept him in place. Summers held Blake's arms back as Mickey tied a rope the guy's leg.

"Mandy says your afraid of heights," Mickey told him. "Maybe this will help you get over that." Mickey held the other end of the rope and motioned for Iggy to push the man off.

Without much effort, Iggy pushed the man off the building and sent him flying. Blake was screaming for his life, thinking this was how he was going to die. He could see the ground approaching quickly so he forced his eyes shut and prepared for his impending death.

His death never came. He stopped literally 3 inches from the ground and hit the brick walls of the building roughly. He was sure he had fractured something. He hung upside down for a moment until the men let go off the rope and he fell with a loud thud.

When they got downstairs, Iggy splashed more cold water on the doctor to get his attention back.

"Listen here you piece of shit. If we ever see you again, you're a dead man. Understand?" The dirty-blonde haired man asked. Blake groaned again but nodded, he passed out once more.

Content with what had occurred, Iggy faced his brother and friend. "Alright, well that was fun. Who's up for some pizza?"

Mickey glared at his brother and smacked him across the back of the head. "The fuck Mick?" Iggy whined.

"Let's get out of here." Mickey said. "I'll see you two back at the place, there's something else I need to take care of," Mickey said vaguely as he walked towards his car. 

* * *

Mickey drove up to the empty lot where only one other car was parked. Sergeant Hank Voight, the most powerful- and possibly the most corrupted cop in Boston, stood next to his dark Dodge Charger. Mickey got out of his vehicle and made his way towards the much older man.

"Thanks for you help," Mickey said, his hands tucked into his pockets. "I, uh, owe you one. Whatever you want." He knew he had sold his soul to the devil to ensure that the stupid doctor that hurt his sister wouldn't cost him his job or land him in prison. Hank Voight was the only person who could promise him that. But everything came at a price, and Mickey knew that.

"Your sister, she's a very lovely young woman. When my son had been shot, the hospital was heavily understaffed due to a large accident. Though she had been ready to go home for the evening, she stuck around and helped out the surgeon that eventually saved his life. I owe her one. She doesn't deserve what that bastard did to her. She does have spunk, that one. Tell her I say hello," he told Mickey in his husky voice that was often confused for a smoker's. 

"This one's on me... but if you get into anymore trouble, I will have to collect," he warned lightly, patting Mickey on his shoulder. Mickey nodded in response and both men parted ways. The younger man knew he had dodged a huge bullet. No one could bury something quite like Hank Voight. So if that prick of doctor did go to the cops, Mickey knew he had nothing to worry about.

"I think I need a drink... or ten," Mickey whispered to himself as he slide into the driver's seat of his Jeep, his heartbeat finally evening out.

* * *

They had driven so far outside the city that it had taken Mickey almost an hour to get back home.

He came in quietly and slipped his shoes off. He was caught off-guard when he noticed who was in the living room.

“Hope you don’t mind if I crash on your couch for a few nights,” Dominic began. “Iggy went back to your uncle’s place and he’s spending the night there. I felt a little out of place so I decided to come here.” He explained, rubbing the back of his neck. It was his 'I'm uncomfortable gesture.'

Mickey scoffed lightly. “You’re always welcomed here man. You really feel more comfortable here though?” he teased. “Have you met Shay?”

“Ah, yes. She’s quite a character that one. I’m sure you two balance one another out… except for that one thing you both have in common,” Dominic responded carefully, his tone even.

Mickey immediately tensed up. He met his friend’s gaze but it was unreadable.

“How do you know about that?” Mickey asked harshly, feeling defensive.

“You’re different when you’re with him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you act like that. You care for him,” Dominic explained. He had seen how Mickey had been attuned to Ian's presence at the warehouse. It was subtle, but he had known Mickey since birth, nothing got past him.

Dom smiled softly at his friend. “Relax, will ya? I don’t give a shit about any of that,” he assured the other man.

“Now, the one thing I didn’t know, was that the Ian from tonight is little ol’ Ian Gallagher from little league… that’s pretty fucking cute Mick,” Dominic teased, attempting to lighten the mood.

He was successful because Mickey immediately rolled his eyes and flipped him the bird. “Get some sleep Summers. I’ll see you in the morning, bitch.”

The older man began to make himself comfortable on the couch as Mickey made his way up the stairs.

“Goodnight Mickey Mouse,” Dom called after him.

Mickey chuckled and shot back a “fuck off,” that was barely audible but he knew that Dom had heard him because he could hear the echo of his laughter.

Right before reaching his bedroom door, Mickey took a deep breath in. He knew Ian was inside waiting for him. He also knew they would most likely get into an argument over the night's events.

Mickey exhaled loudly and turned the knob. He looked around his room but Ian wasn't in sight. He walked over to the balcony that overlooked his backyard. Sure enough, Ian was sitting on Mickey's rocking chair staring out at the moon.

Quietly, Mickey slid open the glass door and joined Ian. 

"Hey," was all her could muster up to say. He leaned his back against the railing.

Ian didn't reply.

"You gonna talk to me?" Mickey tried again. 

Again Ian stayed quiet which frustrated Mickey to no end.

"Jesus Christ Ian, just say something!"

Ian finally stared at him. He got up from the chair and moved back into Mickey's room. He waited, with crossed arms, for Mickey to join him.

"That was really fucking stupid," he said flatly. "You risked everything you've built to get revenge on some prick."

"Are you kidding me right now? The guy deserved what he got, Ian. We're southside, this is how we do things," Mickey rebutted.

Ian smiled. "Did you take a look around? We're not in Chicago anymore." He said, nudging his index finger into the other man's chest, forcing Mickey back.

"The fuck's your problem, bitch?" Mickey shoved him right back.

"You're my god damn problem," Ian closed the space between them. "I care about you but you seem to have a fucking death wish."

Mickey's eyes softened. "Ian..."

"I just got you back. I don't want to lose you... not again," Ian whispered. His eyes locked onto Mickey's.

"You're not gonna lose me," Mickey promised him.

They stared into one another's eyes intensely. "Come 'ere"

Mickey reached for the back of Ian's neck and brought him down to his level.  Their lips crushed together impatiently, their tongues wrestling for control. Mickey groaned as their kiss deepened and only pulled away to yank his shirt off. Ian followed suit and soon they were on the bed with their bodies firmly against one another's. They filled the air with nothing but their soft moans and heavy breaths. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been almost a month since my last update. I'm trying my best now that a new semester has started. I will throw you a bone for those who want more: the next chapter is titled "23 Years" and it'll be a cute one about Mickey's birthday. Thank you for sticking with this story!
> 
> I also started a new short story called: Dishonor Among Thieves. It'll be very short. No more than 5 chapters. Feel free to check it out.


	9. 23 Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone comes together to celebrate Mickey's birthday. He also receives special news.

Dominic woke to the feeling of something cold on his face. He hadn't opened his eyes yet but it felt like some type of medal. He blinked several times before he could see.

"Shit," he murmured, now suddenly fully awake. Mandy stared down at him, she held the end of her baton against his cheek.

"Who the fuck are you?" She asked, an eyebrow raised to the sky. 

Dominic leaned back and groaned, he wiped tiredly at his eyes. "Can you not point that thing at me?" he asked. "It's really not necessary."

Mandy pretended to mull it over. "Nah, it makes me feel safe," she shrugged.

The brunette man smiled softly, staring up at her as he sat up on the sofa. "It looks kinda old," he said simply.

Mandy rolled her eyes at the man's remark. She didn't have the patience for games this early in the morning. "I've had it since I was a little girl. Now, I'm not gonna ask you again. Who the hell are you? and why do my brothers trust you enough to include you in family problems?" she asked, her tone cold and intimidating. It was the Milkovich way.

"Alright. I'll tell you. But first, why don't you read me the initials on the bottom of your baton." Mandy's eyebrows furrowed together. She stared at the initials on the other end of the baton, they were almost faded. Two small letters were engraved into the weapon. 

"DS. What's it to you?" she asked, she was definitely curious now. It didn't help that the guy was insanely attractive and had the whole bedroom eyes thing going for him.

Dominic reached inside his back jean pocket and pulled out his wallet. He searched for a card and handed it over to her. He gave her his driver's license. She stared at the name for along moment before reading it out loud.

"Dominic Summers," she whispered. Dom stood and stared down at her with a cocky grin. When he had moved out of the southside, he had passed his baton down to Mandy so that she would always feel safe.

"Nice to see you too, old friend." He lifted her up into a giant bear hug. When he finally sat her down, he could see a flush in her cheeks. He ran the back of his index finger over one of them.

Mandy was grinning from ear to ear. They shared a short silent moment before Mandy's expression hardened and she punched him as hard as she could on his left arm.

"OW!" he yelled out. "What was that for?" He asked, his eyes wide with confusion. Mandy crossed her arms and the previous smile was replaced with a scowl. "That's for forgetting about us. I haven't from you in over a decade you piece of shit."

Their attention shifted to the stairs as Mickey came down. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Sure, the guy helps kidnap and torture the douchebag you dated and that's how you thank him? Nothing is ever enough for you," he said, addressing them.

Dom plopped back down on the sofa and patted the empty space next to him. Mandy eventually gave in and sat next to him.

"So what's for breakfast Mick?" Dom asked, earning him a middle finger from Mickey.

"Wow, it's a party in here," Shay commented, making her way down the stairs and taking in the amount of people. She was used to it being just her and Mickey in the morning but was happy to have company.

Ian joined them moments later sporting one of Mickey's basketball shorts and a firehouse 51 tee. His red hair pointed in every direction. 

Shay and Mickey began to whip up some breakfast for their guests. Mickey made all the food but Shay made smoothies to feel like a contributing member of the household.

Ian decided to walk Bowser and Mandy tagged along.

"You little slut," she teased as soon as they were out of the house.

Ian stared at her innocently, pretending he didn't know what she was talking about.

She shoved him lightly, making him laugh. "Ian Clayton Gallagher, you are such a hypocrite! You were so upset with him last night when we got home and you didn't hesitate to jump into bed with him," she exclaimed.

He couldn't really explain to her that her brother was the one thing in this planet he could never really resist. He had fallen in love with Mickey when they were young, and though it was easy to assume it was puppy love - on his side, those feelings were very much still there. 

When Ian stayed quiet, Mandy softened up her approach. She grabbed his arm to stop him in place. "Hey," she said, her blue eyes as kind as ever. "I'm happy for you. I'm just teasing you. I promise. God knows no one can melt my brother's ice cold heart like you can," she told him, smirking. Ian erupted with a loud laugh and the two continued their walk.

After they made it back, everyone sat down at breakfast making light conversation. Mandy couldn't help but look around and smile. She felt like she finally had a family, and she knew her brother felt the same way.

Shay stood from the table after the conversation's started to die out. "Alrighty, I'm off. I have a birthday to plan for my favorite thug muffin," she said, leaning over to pinch Mickey's cheeks. He quickly swatted her hand away and groaned. Leslie Shay had a birthday gathering for Mickey every year. Though he protested and whined, it was one of his favorite things. Shay knew to keep it as casual as possible and for that Mickey was grateful. Inside he was excited. In the past it had always been the guys from the firehouse, Mandy, and his uncle but now things were different. His brother was in town, his childhood best friend, and of course, Ian was there too.

Mandy and Ian stayed at the breakfast table while Dom and Mickey made their way to the backyard, each with a beer in hand.

Dom lit up a cigarette and offered one to Mickey. The younger man shook his head. "Nah man, I quit. I already breath in enough smoke when I run into burning buildings. Firefighters aren't allowed to be smokers," he explained.

The older man nodded and decided to put the bud out with his shoe.

"So, 23 tomorrow, huh? When the hell did we get so old?"

Mickey chuckled at his friend's comment. "Fuck should I know. Time has passed by so fast man. Growing up in the southside, it felt like time couldn't move any fucking slower," he admitted sadly.

The two men sat outside and traded stories. Mickey told Dominic about Terry and everything that had happened with Ian and Svetlana. He explained how he got to be a firefighter and what he hoped to do in the future. It was oddly therapeutic. He didn't open up to many people but he had known Dom since he had been born. The guy was family.

Dominic just listened, occasionally throwing in a few comments, but he mostly just listened. His heart hurt for his friends. Despite his mother running off when he was young, leaving him with his own neglectful father, his sympathy only extended to others. He knew he was lucky.

He told Mickey how his father had sent him to live with his grandparents in Texas. How they lived on a dairy farm and he played high school football. He even got to play at the collegiate level before tearing his ACL. Life had unexpectedly turned out better than he could have imagined.

"So if you lived in Texas, does that mean you say y'all and shit?" Mickey asked, truly curious.

Dominic chuckled and slapped him hard in the chest. "Yeah, sometimes, bitch."

"Mandy's real happy you're here, you know," Mickey told him, taking another swig of his beer.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you both. Your dad's a real son of a bitch. It's been great seeing Mandy again." He remembered how he would hold her hand and walk her to school with Iggy and Mickey leading them in the front. He'd been in love with her even at a young age.

Mickey twisted his lips, contemplating what to say. He wasn't very good with deep conversations. He eventually settled for a "s'okay, man," and they left it at that.

"Little Ian Gallagher grew up nicely," Dom commented with a grin.

Mickey rolled his eyes playfully. "Fuck off."

"I'm serious," Dom pressed on. "He's almost taller than I am. Granted, not as handsome..." He was cut-off by the younger man who took a swing at him. They wrestled playfully on the grass, a reminder of their childhood.

 

* * *

 

Mickey had worked up until the early morning of his birthday. He was really looking forward to getting hammered. Ian was getting dressed when Mickey reached his own room.

"Going somewhere, firecrotch?" Mickey asked. Slightly annoyed that he wouldn't be getting some early morning birthday sex.

Ian grinned at him as he slipped on a tight v-neck shirt, Mickey's favorite. "Happy birthday." Ian walked over to Mickey and laid a soft kiss on his lips which became a very hungry one soon. Mickey was panting by the time Ian pulled away. He groaned at the loss of contact. 

"Better make it up to me, Cinderella," Mickey warned, stripping to just his boxers and climbing in bed.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you can't walk tomorrow," the redhead assured him. "I gotta go though, Shay needs help getting everything ready."

Mickey's eyes were closed and he was snoring lightly before the redhead even had a chance to finish his sentence.

 

* * *

 

Spraying his best cologne, Mickey took one last look in the mirror. He had heard everyone arriving and Shay had popped in to tell him he needed to get ready. He was 23 today. God knows he never expected to make it that far in life but here he was. He wore a white button down white dark washed jeans. It was weird to think there were a group of people downstairs to celebrate him. He never really felt worthy enough.

When he made his way downstairs, he was greeted by a cheering group of people yelling happy birthday at him. He rolled his eyes but gave them his biggest smile. Everyone he knew was there. The chief, the guys, and his family, which he grouped Ian in.

He fell into easy conversation with everyone and had a drink in his hand at all times, it didn't get much better than that.

As usual, his uncle had done all the cooking, and they were having Mickey's favorite: pulled pork.

Ian watched Mickey from a distance, he loved seeing the older man enjoy himself.

He had gone outside for a quick smoke break when he ran into Kelly Severide. Ian got a feeling that he wasn't Severide's favorite person so he was determined to turn over a new leaf.

"So, uh, how long have you been a firefighter?" he asked lamely, hating himself for not coming up with better small talk. The man's sea-green eyes focused on Ian.

"Since the day I was born," he answered easily.

Ian laughed, assuming the man was joking. He quickly stopped when he noticed how serious the other man's expression was.

The redhead took a deep breath and decided to say what was really on his mind.

"Look, I don't know if we got on the wrong foot or something. I'm just trying for us to bond a little. I know how important you are to Mickey."

Severide chuckled humorlessly. "Honest truth?"

Ian nodded, urging the other man to continue.

"You scare me. Everyone thinks you're heaven sent because Mickey finally has a significant other. I on the other hand, worry you'll be his downfall."

Taken aback by the brutal honesty of the dark haired man, Ian began to get defensive. "How the hell will I be his downfall?"

"He cares for you," Severide said easily. "So much so that it clouds his judgement. You make him reckless. He beat up that guy that you were with at the bar... hell, he almost died carrying you out of that apartment building. He's never gone against orders, but he did, even when he didn't know it was you."

Though Ian was naturally pale, he had turned white like a ghost at Severide's confession. "I didn't know he had done that," Ian said softly, running his fingers through his hair.

"I don't have anything against you kid. All I'm saying is, Mickey's got a really bright future ahead of himself. He really does. Make sure you bring him up and not tear him down."

With that, Severide turned and went back inside the house, leaving a shocked Ian behind.

"Ian! There you are," Shay called out, sighing in relief. "I've been looking all over for you. It's time for the big announcement." Ian nodded and walked back inside with her.

Everyone was in the living room conversating. Mickey looked absolutely jubilant, he was making fun of Cruz which was his favorite pastime. 

Chief Wallace whistled loudly to get everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, I'm glad you're all enjoying yourselves. Most of us have to be at work tomorrow morning so we will wrap this up, but I have one last thing to say."

He stared directly at Mickey as he spoke.

"Monroe, you've been an excellent addition to our family. You're a hard worker and you always strive to become the best you can be. I want you to personally know that I am proud of you and look forward to continue watching you grow."

Mickey stood and shook his chief's hand, smiling proudly with him. "Thanks Chief. It means the world."

Chief Bowden nodded and turned to Severide. "Kelly Severide has something important to share with all of you."

Severide stepped up, everyone's eyes were on him. "As some of you may or may not have known, Mickey completed all of the certifications and training needed to apply for a position in Rescue Squad," he began, shifting his gaze to meet Mickey's. The younger man was confused as to why Severide would bring this up. "Tonight, I'm happy to announce that Firehouse 51 will be adding him as the newest member of Squad 3. He has also tied with me as the youngest member to join a rescue squad," he said proudly. Severide's expression softened as he continue. "I really wish Andy was here to see this. He sat me down one day and told me I had to keep an eye on you because you were filled with potential," Severide paused to wipe a falling tear. "And you know Andy, the man had incredible hindsight."

Mickey swallowed a lump in his throat. He smiled as he remembered his late mentor and friend.

He felt his sister squeeze his bicep and hand him a gift bag. Inside was a navy blue shirt with the company logo. He turned it around and saw the magic word: SQUAD.

Mickey laughed in disbelief. He stood up and pulled Severide into a hug. "Congrats, kid." he whispered privately. "You report at 7am," Severide announced loudly. Everyone whooped and clapped, causing Mickey to blush.

Everyone formed a line to congratulate Mickey and to present him with their gifts. One by one, people began to leave. After walking his uncle and brother to the door, no one else remained except Shay.

She was sniffling to cover her tears. He walked over to her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you Shay. Tonight was perfect." She pulled away to read his expression.

"You mean it?"

"I know better than to lie to you."

Shay laughed which caused a few tears to roll down her face. "I'm so proud of you Mickey. You really deserve this. Maybe in a few years I'll get to call you Lieutenant."

Mickey smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead. It was the most affection he had shown anyone that wasn't his blood or Ian. "I sure hope so."

"I'm gonna get some sleep. We've got work tomorrow. By the way, you have someone waiting for you upstairs," she informed him with a wink.

Mickey made his way up to his room. He found Ian on the bed with hands folded behind his head. He sat up when Mickey walked in.

"You've got one last gift to open," Ian told him. Mickey sat by him on the bed and opened a small box. Inside was a keychain of a mini snickers bar, it was also engraved at the bottom.

"Liking 'em sweet since 1993," Mickey read out loud with a chuckle. It was fucking perfect.

Ian grinned in return. "What do you think?"

"That you're really fucking gay," Mickey replied. "But I fucking love it."

"Oh yeah?" Ian asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mickey nodded stripping his shirt off. "So, uh, how about that other thing you promised me this morning?"

Ian laughed and pulled the birthday boy roughly onto the bed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Severide means well, so don't be too mad at him.


	10. Finding You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, I went from serious, to comedic, and then back to serious lol. Bare with me on this roller coaster.  
> I added a song to the last part of this chapter because it really put me in my feelings as I was writing it. Feel free to give it a listen.

Everyone knew that Mickey was at his most vulnerable right after a good fucking. He laid on his stomach, snoring softly into a pillow. Ian had not disappointed with the second half of his birthday gift to Mickey, and the older man had nearly collapsed right after.

Ian leaned back against the bed frame, the comforter covering the lower half of his pale naked body. There was something he could not shake off.

"Hey, you awake?" he asked, hovering over the other man's back and trailing a few kisses down his spine.

"No," the older man grumbled out, his voice was slightly muffled by the pillow which he laid on.

In an attempt to grab the other man's attention, Ian sucked on a highly sensitive spot behind Mickey's ear. The brunet's eyes opened in an instant and he whined as he forced himself to turn onto his back.

"Jesus Christ, Gallagher. I got work in a few hours, what's up man?" he asked, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

Ian chewed on his lip before tackling what was on his mind.

"Back in April when I first moved here, I woke up in the hospital after my apartment building burned down. That's how I met Shay, and eventually found you," he said softly, staring into Mickey's baby blue eyes. "Severide told me tonight that it was you who pulled me out of that fire..." he trailed off. "I guess I was wondering if you could walk me through what happened that night; you know, if you remember."

Mickey sighed and pulled himself into a sitting position next to Ian.

"I didn't want you to know that," he chewed the inside of his lip, recalling the events of that night. Ian waited patiently, trying his best to not push his partner too far. It was easy for Mickey to pull away, everyone knew that, especially Ian.

"I was working a double with Shay," he began, "we got a call to the building and it was in pretty bad shape. Most of the tenants managed to get out but the landlord said there were a few people unaccounted for but he couldn't be sure how many. I followed Severide to the third floor, we were doing a sweep. It was so hard to see but I saw a woman at the end of the hall, passed out, probably trying to escape," Mickey paused, he stared at Ian warily before continuing, knowing what the redhead wanted to know.

"We were pulling back because the fire and smoke had gotten so bad. I was walking behind Severide and I don't know how but I just felt something pull me, like a fucking magnet or something. Everything just stopped, and all I could focus on was getting inside that room. I heard the chief on my radio telling me I didn't have time but I went in anyways. I shouldn't have found you, Ian," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "But I did, and I don't know how to explain it."

Ian swallowed, unsure of what to think. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The brunet shrugged. "I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything... you don't," Mickey replied firmly. He sat up higher to place a kiss onto Ian's forehead and give him a small reassuring smile.

"Let's go back to bed," Mickey told him, slipping farther into the comforter. Ian spooned him tightly and nuzzled his head on Mickey's shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Walking tiredly towards her apartment, Mandy dragged her tired, swollen feet. She had worked an overnight shift and was looking forward to the comfort of a warm shower and her bed. After entering her apartment, she locked the door behind her and was surprised to see that Ian had fallen asleep on the couch hugging his laptop with tens of papers around him. Poor guy had been studying his life away for his final exams. 

Knowing very well she couldn't possibly carry the ginger to his room, Mandy collected his papers into a neat pile and placed the laptop on the coffee table. She laid a blanket they kept nearby over his tall body and ran a few fingers through his hair.

She made her way into her room where she began to shrug off her scrubs. She was surprised to find her mail on her bed, Ian normally left it on the coffee table, but then she remembered the disaster that was their living room at the moment. A white packet caught her attention, she picked it up and was shocked when she read the contents of the letter.

A wave of emotions hit her at once: excitement, joy, fear, and sadness.

 

* * *

 

Shay wasn't surprised when she got home from the grocery store to find a certain redhead in their living room.

"Hey Ian," she called out warmly.

Ian smiled happily at her. "Hey Shay, what's going on?"

Their conversation was interrupted when the house phone rang. It almost never rang and she often forgot they had one.

"Hello?" she said into the phone, putting the groceries away. "Oh, hi Olivia. Mickey? he's at work, he should be getting home soon... oh you are?"

Ian watched with an amused expression as the blonde woman stumbled over her words.

When Shay hung up, she stared at Ian like she had witnessed a murder.

"Are you okay?" Ian asked, suddenly starting to worry.

She shook her head slowly. "I fucked up, Ian. I really fucked up. I think Mickey will actually kill me," she replied, the blood from her cheeks beginning to disappear.

The redhead rolled his eyes at the overly dramatic paramedic. "Come on, can't be that bad," he countered.

"I accidentally allowed Olivia Green to come to our house..." she said, pacing impatiently back and forth, trying to formulate a plan.

The sound of the door caused Shay to freeze. "Shit."

Mickey entered the town home and made his way into the living room. He dropped his keys on the coffee table by Ian's feet and messed the younger man's hair up, it was his way of greeting him when others were around.

"Hey handsome," Ian flirted. Mickey scoffed and gave him the finger as he made his way into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

Before Shay could even say anything, the doorbell rang. When no one made an attempt to get it, Mickey rolled his eyes and made his way towards the door, Bowser came running down and began to bark frantically. A simple snap of his owner's finger silenced him immediately.

As soon as Mickey came face to face with Olivia Green, he began to plot his roommate's death.

"Mickey, darling," Olivia crooned, making her way inside even though she hadn't been invited in.

Ian watched as a very attractive brunette made their way into the living room. He had been typing away at his laptop to finish a paper but something told him things were going to get very interesting.

"What are you doing here Olivia?" Mickey asked coldy, he crossed his arms defensively.

The woman seemed unaffected by his attitude and simply shrugged off her coat to reveal a very tight black dress. Ian's jaw immediately dropped. Mickey only rolled his eyes at the gesture.

"The firehouse charity dinner is coming up and I still haven't received your RSVP," she said innocently. "So I came to personally deliver another invitation to you," she gave him her most seductive face, the woman truly had no shame.

Shay watched from a distance, cringing at every moment possible. She couldn't risk being too close to Mickey right now.

Olivia leaned forward to hand Mickey a piece of paper and made sure to give him a clear view of her cleavage along the way.

"You've chosen to not participate in the past but we'd love for you to change that this year," she said provocatively. "Don't forget to fill out if you're bringing a plus one," she reminded.

Everyone watched as Mickey hesitated to fill out the paper. He stole a glance at Ian who was utterly perplexed by what was happening around him.

"It's okay if you don't have a date, you know. I wouldn't mind showing you the ropes and being your arm candy," she smiled coyly and Mickey was sure he was going to be sick to his stomach.

He quickly filled the card out and handed it back to her. She smiled triumphantly when she saw he had RSVP'd for two people.

"Wow, it's only taken me three years to finally convince you to finally come with me," she told him, standing up to gather her things.

Mickey scoffed. "Actually I'm taking someone else," he replied cheerily.

Both Shay and Ian's eyes widened more than they thought possible.

"Who?" the brunette woman asked, squinting her eyes menacingly.

Mickey licked his lips and tilted his chin towards Ian, who was pretending to type something on his laptop, even though he had long closed out of the paper he had been working on. "I'm taking him."

Olivia turned to glare at Ian. "Who the fuck are you?"

Ian only chuckled and shook his head. Mickey walked over to him, straddled him, and pulled him in for a passionate kiss, putting on a show for the invader. "He's my boyfriend," Mickey replied smugly. "I'm fucking gay."

The woman shot them both a dirty look before quickly retreating towards the door. 

"Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment," Ian began, "but what just happened?"

"Olivia Green is one of the higher up's daughter. She's pretty much been through the entire department and she's had her eyes set on Mickey ever since he became a candidate," Shay chimed in, causing the men to turn back to see her.

"God I hate that fucking loose bitch," Mickey exclaimed, shuttering as he recollected the past few minutes.

Shay stepped up hesitatingly. "So... we're okay right? I mean now she'll definitely leave you alone," Shay sympathized with a weak smile.

Mickey only glared at her. When she saw him curl and uncurl his hands she immediately bolted out the door screaming, Mickey ran after her, hot on her tail.

"Leslie Elizabeth Shay... I swear to fucking god..." his voice cut off as they made their way onto the street.

Ian shrugged his shoulders and opened up his word document to continue working on his paper. He patted the spot next to him and Bowser curled up against him, joining the redhead as his owners caused a ruckus in the streets of Boston.

 

* * *

 

Playlist: Spirit Cold - Tall Heights

Mickey sat on his lawn chair staring out at the sunset before him. He loved this time of day the most, it was a time where the sky was adjusting to bring forth something new. The sliding glass door opened behind him causing him to peek over his shoulder.

Pulling a nearby chair close to her brother's, Mandy slumped down into it.

"You've got that look on your face," Mickey noted, taking a sip from his beer.

"What look?"

"The 'there's something I want to say but I don't know how to say it' look," he said simply. He continued to stare forward at the glowing city in the distance.

Fidgeting in her chair some, Mandy took a deep breath before attempting to say anything. "I, uh, got a letter in the mail yesterday," she began. "I applied to a few nursing programs a few months ago. I wasn't offered admission to most of them but this school in Florida had a last minute opening and they offered me a seat."

Mickey shifted his gaze towards his sister who was staring down at her intertwined hands. "That's great, Mands," he replied earnestly. "You gonna go?"

She bit down on her lip and shrugged her shoulders.

"The fuck is stopping you?"

For a moment Mandy didn't reply, a silence washing over them.

"I don't want it to seem like I'm leaving you behind," she said lowly. So low that Mickey almost missed it.

"Leave me behin - Jesus Christ Mandy," Mickey replied, shaking his head. He took a deep breath and recollected himself. "Do you remember what you told me before we left Chicago?"

Mandy shook her head lightly. It'd been many years ago.

"I wasn't sure I could leave. I thought that the southside was the very best we could do. That we couldn't make it anywhere else. But you didn't let me. You grabbed me by the shoulders and told me 'just because we were born here, doesn't mean we end up here' and look how fucking far we've gotten," the brunet exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air for emphasis. His tone softened as he saw his sister retreat internally, unconvinced.

"What is it that you want Mandy?" he asked, searching her face. He had never been one for heart to heart talks but he'd make an exception for his little sister.

Mandy's vulnerable blue eyes locked on his and it nearly broke his heart. "I want what I've wanted since I was little girl, Mick. I want a home to call mine, I want to start a family, I want somebody to love me, I want to live," a few tears escaped the corners of her eyes which she immediately wiped away. "I just want to be free."

Mickey walked over to her and wiped a stray tear from her face. He held her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. He sniffed a few times, fighting back his own tears. "Well then go, dumbass," he joked lightly, his voice cracking a bit.

"I know it didn't feel that way growing up, but you _are_ free, Mandy," he mumbled against her hair.

"When do you leave?" he asked, staring into the distance.

"Tomorrow night."

Mickey bit down on his lip and scratched at the back of his head before nodding in acceptance. "Guess we better get you all packed up then," he stated.

He got up rather quickly and reached for the sliding glass door to pull it open.

The brunet cocked his head and motioned for his sister to follow. As she passed him, he tried giving her a reassuring smile. He was happy for his sister. He truly was. She had worked hard to expunge herself from her southside habits, she deserved this and so much more. He was just going to miss having her annoying ass around, not that he'd ever admit it so blatantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's always hard to see Mandy go :( this won't be the last we see of her though!  
> Next chapter will be a tough one but I'm very excited for it.


End file.
